Star Ocean 3: The Birth of a New Era
by Shiizu
Summary: Four years after the birth of the new era, Mirage Koas and her fellow Klausians reform together as Quark once more to unravel the truth about the horrific events which are caused by a terrorist organization known as the Alliance.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer:

This fanfic is a sequel to and based on the PS2 release Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. The author of this fanfic (me, of course) is not the owner of this game.

The Birth of a New Era

**Chapter 1**

**Prologue**

The sun had just about finished setting on Klaus IV. It was growing darker and darker by each second just like the conditions of Trena. Once the darkness had swept over the planet, it was nighttime. The sea water that ran down across the crag flowed at a very steady rate across from her father's grave. Mirage sat just a few feet across from the grave on the ground where she stared down at the grave peacefully. She was too quiet for words at this point, but her mind wasn't. It was filled with thoughts and memories of her father which she couldn't help but remember. But there were far too many of them, they all could not possibly flash before her eyes in just a single moment. She then remembered her father's dying words... it was about her mother, Lucia. Sitting in front of the grave that had the writings 'Dan Koas' carved onto it, she started to think about everything that she and the others had been through in their journey so far and how much more there is to go...

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Once she set the timer on the digitial clock in her right hand, Mirage took a close and deep look at the two trainees in the area in front of her. She took a deep breath before starting the timer.

"Everyone in position, alright... Begin!" said Mirage with a strong voice and that was the trainees' cue to begin. It was getting quite warm and stuffy inside the dojo, almost unbearable... but that did not stop Mirage's pupils from battling it out in a hand-to-hand Taijutsu combat. Watching every movement closely, Mirage noted the weaknesses and strengths of each of her trainees for which they can improve on.

"HA!" shouted one of the trainees as he struck his opponent with a fierce palm strike straight to the forehead knocking him out. Everyone cheered and applauded for his performance as he took his position and slightly bowed to his mentor.

"Not bad, Tiisho. That was only 4 minutes and 39 seconds this time. You have definitely improved on your weaknesses which I pointed out to you in our last class." Mirage praised the victor proudly. She then looked towards the other trainee who had just regained consciousness, "Seda, your moves were too predictable. Patterns in your movement may make it easy for you to get into a good rhythm, but it also makes it much easier for the opponents to predict your moves. Show more variations in your offense and watch for the opponent's retaliations."

Seda, the loser of the two trainees, bowed in respect accepting his mentor's advice. He then made his way back to the bench line of the rest of the trainees who had just finished dueling.

"Koreen. Xeim. You two are next."

A slim, yet tall girl made her way to the center of the training hall. Koreen was very young, but also very experienced and hard-working. As a result, she holds the best record out of anyone of the trainees in the training hall. Xeim, the other dueler, also stepped to the center from the other side of the hall. Tough, brisk, but mysteriously quiet were the precise words to describe him. Pure strength and skill brought him many victories, but his lacking in other areas is what cost him the other duels.

"I won't be holding back!" Koreen blurted out with a funny grin on her face.

Mirage gave her usual signal to start the duel as Xeim quickly rushed in to make his first move. Koreen played very defensively the whole time like she always does. Waiting for her opponent to strike, Koreen's counters were her deadly weapons, using their own strength against them. Most of the duel consisted of Xeim drawing in roundhouse punches and kicks, as well as a few jabs here and there, but most of them ended up in empty air.

"HO-HA!" Xeim gave a loud cry as he struck Koreen's mid-section with his strong fist. As Koreen held her hand to her stomach in a weak position recovering from that blow, Xeim took this chance to use his whole body's strength to strike another blow to her stomach. However, Koreen was able to use her quick movements and reaction to dodge the punch rapidly and use Xeim's velocity to pull his arm over herself delivering a shoulder throw. Xeim was down flat on his back.

"HAIEE-YA!" shouted Koreen as she shot a ferocious palm strike right down on Xeim's chest providing her yet another victory. Mirage was quite happy as usual with Koreen's performance, but unfortunately, Xeim did not get the same feedback. In fact, Mirage told him to meet her privately after the end of class that day.

"Bah..." was the only retort from Xeim.

Mirage stepped forward as her disciples stood in rows and columns facing her, "Tomorrow we will finish up the rest, I believe there are only four students left now. We will then continue with our training session afterwards, but I have to say I am quite impressed with the performances you have displayed so far. Well then, that will be all for today. Remember... mind, body, and spirit is the key to combat." Mirage ended the class as they took their positions and bowed.

Mirage had a mentor-disciple talk with Xeim once everyone had left explaining him the concepts of his weakness and strengths in combat.

"Spirit and mentality, huh?" Xeim shifted his eyes a little as he talked.

"And i'm not saying this to you because i'm disappointed in your progress or anything, but more because I can already see your potential. And seeing such potential go waste would not be something I would just stand by and let it happen, if you know what I mean."

"I see. Hmm... well thanks for the briefing anyway. I suppose I could ponder more on that." Xeim shrugged slightly and turned his back as he left.

_'Hmph. I suppose there are more things he needs to work on.'_ an annoyed Mirage thought to herself.

Once she had grabbed her materials and personal belongings, Mirage made her way out of the dojo wishing everyone a good day. 'It was a relief to be out in the fresh air, it was getting stuffy in there!' Mirage thought to herself. And Klaus IV was indeed a beautiful planet, there was no doubt about that. Moreso than Klaus III because of its dome-shaped structure surrounding many sections of the planet. The dome was made of strong fibreglass which made it an immensely strong shield and gave nature its beautiful color on this planet without disturbing the ecosystem at all. The purpose of the glass-structured dome surrounding Klaus IV was to give it the similar atmospheric composition as Klaus III. Without it, the atmosphere of Klaus IV would be extremely different and possibly inhabitable. At night, lights would shine from the dome illuminating nearly all areas on the planet. For this reason, it would rarely be dark outdoors.

Whenever the strong-minded Klausian stepped out of the school everyday, she felt a lot more carefree in her thoughts. She thought about many things outside of training and looking over her father. This time, like usual, she couldn't help but brew a storm of thoughts in her head all the way home... which were mostly about her old friends.

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It was only four years ago, the last time Mirage was involved in a war and a true battle, fighting alongside her friends. Ever since the fall of the Creator the "new era", which is the period that came afterwards, was progressing peacfully so far. But Mirage, she believed that the universe is still not a perfect place on its own even without connections with the 4D, and events may draw them back out again. Or maybe she just wanted to be together with all of them again.

The Koas residence was not quite as much sophisticated as one would expect considering that Klaus is now one of the most recently developed planets. It was a small house in an open area surrounded mainly by trees and diurnal birds. Mirage and her father, Dan Koas, liked it the way it was, both believed that communication with the nature is an important part of spiritual development. Besides, Trena itself wasn't a very sophisticated city itself. Once Mirage found her way to her house, she could see her father concentrating on his evening meditation near the fireplace. He wasn't frail at all, despite how people describe him. Mirage often compares him to Adray often in an amusing fashion even though Dan is less than half the muscular size Adray was. Dan had a long white beard and his hair was darker and nicely combed like a gentleman.

"A little earlier than usual today, Mirage?" asked Dan, as she stepped into the room.

"It was not our usual training session today." Mirage spoke as she noticed Dan wrap up his meditation.

"By the way, I almost forgot." Dan recalled as he stroked his white thin beard, "You have a message from someone. Probably one of your friends. You might want to check it first thing. I believe it was from... Lieber. The young lad said it was urgent."

Mirage was slightly surprised at that name. "Lieber? What could he possibly have to inform that's so important?"

Lieber was one of the formiddable members of Quark who resided in his hometown Lazeria in Klaus IV once Quark was disbanded. Mirage last heard from him about an year ago, he was working in one of the top ranks of the facilities inside the Kluasian government's headquarters along with his brother Steeg.

As Mirage settled her belongings down, she grabbed her communicator and went through Lieber's message which he had left in her voice-mail system. It was only about 2 seconds long asking Mirage to head over to Lazeria and meet him in his office in Kluas IV's Communications Headquarters tomorrow as soon as possible. The invitation sounded rather abrupt to her, but she knew just by his voice that she could not let something like this just pass by.

It wasn't too much later into the evening before they started dinner, Mirage wasn't the best cook in Klaus but she could easily whip up a delicious dish enough to fill the tummy.

"So when will you be leaving then?" Dan spoke after Mirage had informed him of Lieber's notice.

"Tomorrow's the last day of Level 1 test before we begin our advanced training session. It looks like i'll have to postpone the training session to some other time until I get back from Lazeria." said Mirage as she served dinner.

"Nonsense, young lady. Don't be afraid to ask your father for help, I will just sub in for you. I have a lot of experience which you seem to keep forgetting."

Mirage smirked, then chuckled slightly. "Thank you, father. I can always count on you."

"I suppose you'll be gone for a while then?"

"Oh no, I should be back as soon as possible but that all depends on the issue. If i'm forced to stay longer, i'll make sure to be in contact."

Mirage wasn't the type who would get up late for being lazy or not getting enough rest. She was still the same strong, confident, and caring Klausian deep inside as her close friends always used to describe her. Trips like these weren't new to Mirage at all, which is the main reason she did not find the whole idea of going to Lazeria without being given a good reason a big deal.

The next day, all the pupils assembled in the glass an hour earlier before their honored mentor would arrive at the Jingu dojo. Half of them were busy sparring and taking their training seriously while another group of students were gathered around on the bench in the corner of the dojo discussing some possible rumors.

"I'm getting so nervous! I sure hope I pass the test today." exclaimed one of the youngest students in the class. "Mirage Sensei's markings can be pretty harsh! What'll I tell my parents and all my friends if I don't make it past this?"

"I heard a rumor that she's going to be away for a while." Koreen, one of the favorite pupils mentioned.

Tiisho looked shocked. "That's a surprise. I didn't expect that, she has had some tough moments but it's going to be a little too empty here without her."

"Some of the oldies say Mirage has been the most straightforward and strict sensei in Jingu history. She can be scary at times... I always liked her that way though." Koreen, one of the favorite pupils mentioned.

"She doesn't like to get too emotionally attached to any of her students because it keeps her views objective. Man, times can be rough when you really have a tough sensei, but somehow it's not the same with her." a lazy young teenager spoke from the corner of the bench. He was a little brash and liked to pick many members of the dojo from time to time.

"Remember the time she made me and Seda spar each other with blindfolds expecting proper results for trying to skip the last few hours of our training session. She made us do the same thing over and over again until each of our step was done with precision. Man, my back ached for a week after that!" said Tiisho.

The classes began once Mirage had arrived at 0600 early in the morning. Everyone assembled in their positions without uttering another word. As the day went by, Mirage seemed happy and satisfied with the results. After the evaluation was over, Mirage informed everyone about her leave.

"Where is it you will be going? And what will happen to our classes?" asked a lanky blonde-haired man who was one of the oldest students to step in the dojo.

Mirage smiled naturally, "I'll be out for a few days in Lazeria. Meanwhile father, Dan, will be looking after this place during the training sessions."

"It'll be so empty without you, sensei..." said a disappointing student. "Is there anything we can help with?"

"No need..." Mirage shook her head and was now forcing her smile trying not to show her unhappy expressions.

Xeim, on the other hand, was listening to her words the whole time suspiciously. No one could tell what his intentions were just by the look on his face. He was always completely covered in clothes and even a portion of his face was masked with a small veil.

The dojo, while not extremely large, was separated into sections. The main arts that many students attended the dojo was to learn components of Budo Taijutsu and although it was the Jingu school of Taijutsu, a few small areas of Jujutsu, Ninpo, and Hapkido were taught as well to expand the variety in their defensive tactics.

Once Mirage, returned back home for the day, she didn't waste any time to pack her belongings for her short trip tomorrow. She didn't want to miss the train that arrives early morning so she quickly changed into her silk night dress before popping onto her bed. It wasn't going to be an easy day ahead of her tomorrow so she fell off to a deep slumber surprisingly soon. And somehow she had a feeling she wouldn't get a chance to rest like this again for a long time.

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It was far too dark for her to figure out where she was. Mirage felt like she was standing on some kind of flat surface on a very high elevation. The mystery of her whereabouts petrified her and she didn't move an inch until she could get a clue. As if the darkness wasn't bad enough, the air was covered with mist and fog, the smell tickled her nose.

Suddenly she noticed a figure growing bigger and bigger in front of her, and it passed through the mist enough to be revealed clearly to Mirage's sight. To her shock, this person was quite familiar... almost too familiar. Her heart pounded just by the sight of seeing him, she tried doing something just as thunder struck behind him terrorizing her. In that one flash of lightning, she noticed many things. She was on top of a cliff in a very dark and foggy area with this man who relieved her and frightened her at the same time just by his presence. The man had blonde hair, a tight sleeveless shirt, a black pair of jeans, and he was well-built. Mirage, noticing the person who was very near the edge of the cliff, lent her hand to him. She tried to tell him it was dangerous but no words came from her mouth. Instead, the husky man shook his head and walked backwards as if to reject Mirage's offer. He stopped just as he reached the edge point of the cliff. Mirage saw the last of him as he threw his arms out and fell back disappearing from Mirage's sight.

Suddenly, Mirage felt her eyes nearly pop out as she awoke with a quick jolt. It was morning again.

"Ugh... a nightmare. What was that about anyway?" she shook her head, "Oh well, I really shouldn't let these things bother me. I've got to hurry, father must already be up by now!"

------------------------

Mirage had already left a note to all of the pupils in her training class once she left her home as her father saw her out. The Trena train station was not far from her locality at all, it was only 0925 when she reached the Trena station as she looked onto her watch. Trains weren't the most fancy way of travelling at this day and age, but it was the quickest way to travel small distances on the planet. She settled her bags at the nearest bench and sat down taking a short rest.

"Oww! You weren't supposed to kick that hard!" A young boy of a very small age, probably around 6 or 7, was holding his stomach in pain as he tried getting up from the blow he received from a small cute girl about his age.

"That was for being mean to me!" she shot back at the boy just as a tall and chubby woman walked towards them as if she had been looking for both.

"Get back here, and stop misbehaving! You two need to stop running off your own or else mommy won't get you the cookies she promised!" The mother was scornful at her children.

Mirage herself didn't know why she was busy observing the situation. In fact, she almost did not notice the train arrive just as people started to board.

"Attention all passengers. The local train no. 022 will now leave for Lazeria. Estimated time for arrival at 0955."

The train ride actually wasn't that long, it had arrived earlier than expected. As Mirage stepped off the rear exit of the train, the first thing she noticed about Lazeria was the technological advancement and the sophisticated look of this wealthy city. It was a city of tall buildings, especially in the downtown area where the highroads were crowded with traffic. It wasn't surprising Lieber would live in a place like this considering he's a descendent of one of the wealthiest men on the planet.

Mirage was lucky she didn't have to catch another bus to get to the Communications Headquarters from the Lazeria train station since it was only a walking distance. The Comm. Headquarters was one of the largest industries in the heart of downtown, Mirage was happy to be back after an year long. As she stepped inside and headed over to the counter, she noticed the relinquished look of the main lobby. It had beautiful glass patterns on windows and excellent carpetting. The lady at the counter smiled.

"How can I be of service?"

"I'm Mirage Koas. I've come to see Lieber." Mirage spoke calmly.

"Ah yes, he's been waiting for quite a while now... where did he go...?" The counter lady looked a bit confused.

"Well well, there you are! ...And here I am!" a medium sized slim man with brown punk hair had just made his way out of the washroom as he looked towards Mirage with a small gleam in his eye.

"Lieber. It's been a while." Mirage smiled before she shared a friendly hug with him.

"Only an year, actually. But it seemed forever! You really haven't changed much you know, except for your hair. You know, it looks a lot more beautiful now that you keep it open."

"Oh thanks!" Mirage was slightly flattered. "So what was the call for?"

"Ah about that," suddenly Lieber's expression shifted from excited to moody and glum. "Let's discuss that in my office. Steeg and Marietta are here as well for this er... meeting."

Even though she was slightly in a confused state, Mirage could tell it wasn't good news just by reading the expression on Lieber's face. They made their way to the transporter to one of the top floors and into Lieber's private office.

------------------------

The reunion was remarkably rejoiceful. Steeg and Marietta couldn't have been any more glad at the sight of Mirage. They were of course expecting her arrival eagerly, Mirage on the other hand was also thrilled to be with them again.

"You know, you really haven't changed at all!" Marietta whispered a little loudly from the excitement, "It's so good to see you back."

"Yup. That's what I told her too." Lieber smiled.

Once everyone had settled down, Mirage finally got some time to look around Lieber's office. It was quite deliquite and rather sharp-looking. They took their seats around a circular table just across Lieber's desk.

"Let's cut to the chase then, shall we?" Steeg spoke in a serious tone, "Lieber, have you briefed Mirage on anything yet?"

"Nope, we got in as soon as we could." Lieber shook his head.

"I see."

Mirage was a bit worried from the suspense, "So what is it? Is anything wrong?"

"Well it's kinda like this..." Lieber cleared his throat, "A lot of weird things have been going on outside of Klaus, which of course you probably have no idea of since none of us has left Klaus in about 4 years. But based on the analysis on my charts from our investigations, there have been some really horrible things going on out there."

"Like what?" Mirage questioned curiously as she narrowed her eyes towards Lieber.

"To put it in simple, non-scientific terms, planets out there in the Milky Way galaxy are being destroyed and seized by what believes to be a certain terrorist organization as we speak. Why and how? I'm not quite sure." Lieber didn't seem to be giving the whole story.

"Wha-! Oh my... that is horrific." Mirage shook her head as if to make sure she heard that right. "I've had no idea of such things, how long has this been going on?"

"Quite a while." Steeg entered the conversation, "It appears the government of Klaus alone just recently learned about it a few weeks ago. The Panglactic Federation, which is dealing with the core of this problem currently, is a different matter. It seems they have been struggling over this matter for over three months now. I suppose Klaus doesn't want to get involved which is why we really haven't taken any course of action. And we're not exactly that friendly with the Federation which is common knowledge... but they're dealing with heinous and undespicable crimes, almost as bad what the Creator and 4D Beings had intended to do four years ago."

"Our friends too, who belong in the areas part of the Sol System, are possibly caught in this dilemma." Marietta spoke slowly tilting her head down, slightly depressed.

"Wait... does that mean...? Could this explain... about Cliff?" Mirage stuttered a bit. "About what has happened to him... and why he's 'vanished'?"

Cliff Fittir was one of the comrades whom Mirage fought along with and also one of her closest friend she had never seen since. Originally from Klaus III, he moved to Klaus IV at the age of 24 where he met Mirage. After years of hard training in the Jingu School of Taijutsu, Dan Koas wanted to give up his position in the dojo over to Cliff. But like the soldier he is, Cliff could not return to Klaus as of then due to matters that still had to be dealt with. Mirage at that time was not aware of these matters.

Cliff's disappearance was another thing that shocked many, especially Mirage, considering how famous he is. Cliff and Lancar had been working on behalf of Klaus cleaning all sorts of mess that were necessary to get rid of. A few months back, the Eagle had engaged in a battle with an Vendeeni ship, known as the Triumph. Of course, the Eagle was no match for such a ship, and it also failed during their fleet. Both Cliff and Lancar would have been labelled as dead, but there were no signs of a blown up ship or matter left over after the battle. Both ships were never seen again... neither were Cliff and Lancar. Presumed dead, but officially labelled as 'missing'.

"That was one of my first suspicions once I learned about this," Lieber spoke, a lot more calm than usual. Definitely calmer than Mirage which was surprising, but not as much anymore considering the situation. "Planets being seized, federal stations being destroyed, who knows what else they're up to?"

Mirage looked down, a little disappointed. Everyone was silent for the moment as well.

"Which brings us to our point," Steeg continued where Lieber left off. "Lieber, Marietta, and myself have decided we're going to go back out there and net some more details on this matter from the Pangalactic Federation headquarters itself."

"Just hold on a second," Mirage was a bit startled, "How do you plan on getting there? You're going to need to take precautions before heading into risky situations."

"Heh, I thought you'd say that." Steeg smiled, "We'll just have to reinforce Quark again. Not as an anti-federation team anymore of course. But it'll be much more beneficial for us, and even though the Diplo isn't exactly the best warship, it's our best chance. We're all quite intent on this mission, and i'm sure you want to look into this more than any of us Mirage. We've already gotten permission from the main headquarters which wasn't exactly an easy task but we're all ready now! And don't worry about the amount of personnel either. We've got tons this time and all raring to go"

_'Looks like i'm not going to get a chance to go back to Trena from here. Better leave him a message and tell him i'm sorry about this... i hope he can take care of the dojo for the mean time.' _Mirage thought to herself.

"You're not going anywhere without me..." Mirage stood up looking intent, "though you guys could have informed me a bit earlier about this... seems like you guys took care of a lot of things by yourselves."

"Heh Sorry about that," Marietta giggled. "But what's important is you're with us now. Nothing's going to stop us now!"

"Glad to hear that Mirage." Steeg chimed in, "And we really needed a captain as well. Now let's take care of this matter once and for all, but most importantly... together."

"We'll leave tomorrow morning then." Mirage accepted the time as the others left Lieber's office along with Mirage to see her down and outside the headquarters. However, the lady at the counter startled her.

"Miss Koas, is it?" spoke the counter lady.

"Yes?"

"There's someone who has come to see you. He's been waiting patiently for quite a while now."

Just as Mirage turned around to inspect, she was surprised by a certain appearance. Tall, strong, dark, quiet, wearing a scarf around his neck and shoulders. He had a sleeveless tight shirt and long draping pants which covered his boots.

"...Xeim?" Mirage eyes widened as she spoke, "Why are you here?"

"Ah, you're finally here." said Xeim with his usual deep voice.

"And what's your reason for not being in class?"

"Spirit... I thought a lot about the advice you gave me yesterday. I dare say i've been one of the strongest fighters in our class, but i'm weak. My goal is to grow powerful for a certain purpose that I must fulfill. I'm of course not originally from Klaus but i've travelled all the way here and found my way into your dojo to gain that power. But the only thing I lack in my power is spirit. It's exactly what i've been looking for, you led me to the right path yesterday. However, i'm clueless on this subject, which is why I want you to be my spiritual mentor."

"Whoa whoa there, macho man!" Lieber interrupted, "we've got important matters to deal with here. You can take all the spiritual classes you want later. You go head back to the dojo."

"You don't understand." Xeim simply shook his head, "I've heard about your mission and the reformation of Quark from the rumors spreading around town. And I would be honored to join you on this mission."

"Wait a sec." Lieber replied again, "Do you even know how dangerous this is? This ain't gonna be a training class no more, so if you can't handle things and slow us down, then you'll have to sit this one out."

"You want ME to be your spiritual mentor?" Mirage questioned him, "Hmm... I guess I won't ask any further. Alright then, I accept."

"What?" spoke a surprised Steeg, "Are you sure about this? I mean... this isn't some picnic we're going on."

"Don't worry, he is perfectly capable of defending himself, I suppose I can help him on this purpose he wants to achieve. Besides, he reminds me... a little of..." Mirage stopped there.

"Tch. Fine. Do as you like." Lieber seemed a little disappointed at this decision.

"Welcome aboard!" Marietta squealed out.

Xeim crossed his arms and leaned back, closing his eyes and smirking at the same time... relieved at Mirage's response. And so the journey starts with these five...


	2. The Unexpected Guest

**Chapter 2**

**The Unexpected Guest**

The Quark crew never thought that they would be onboard the Diplo flagship once again, yet here they were, ready to dive into action. No Cliff, no Maria... so who was the leader of Quark? As expected, Mirage was unannymously elected as the leader. Marietta navigated the Diplo far into space while Lieber and Steeg handled flight controls.

The Diplo looked quite different to the former Quark members. Its defensive shield was a lot stronger, the engine was highly advanced, as were the creation cannons. The weaponry of the Diplo made it much more suitable for combat, the separate rooms near the hangar were a lot more luxurious as well. The Klaus government had decided to spend a lot financially on its battleships and organizations such as Quark.

"How much longer?" Mirage lifted her head as she spoke from her seat.

"Not much longer now, just a few more hours. It seems the flight controls have been running smoother than ever." Marietta replied as she turned.

"They sure did a good job this time, huh?" Lieber said as he concentrated on the flight path not paying much attention to the discussion.

Xeim was second in-command to Mirage, a really high rank for a new member. But it was really the only position he'd fit in since he claimed to have had experience in flight controls in the past. Of course, none of them really knew anything about his past so they decided to take his word for it before putting him in that particular position, "Let's just hope we can get some answers from the Federation Station. This side of the Theta Sector is a disaster right now."

A few hours later, they had reached within the boundary of Remote Station #7. However, the path further was blocked off.

"Incoming communication from an unknown location, what should we do?" Marietta asked Mirage.

"Open up the comm link." answered Mirage, just as she noticed an old silver-haired man, who looked to be one of the authorities of the Federation HQ.

"This is Mirage, commander of the Diplo. Could you please brief us on what exactly is going on? Why can't we get in?" Mirage spoke in a loud, yet formal voice.

"This is the captain and commander of remote station #7. It's a havoc right now. We just recieved news from our reporters that battleships of the Alliance have been sighted very close to our current region. You'd better get out of your current location right now, the whole Sol System is in risk. There is no way we could allow any ships to come in or go out of the federation stations right now. I'm sorry, but matters will be discussed later. The situation is far too hectic at the moment." the commander cut off the communication as he gave his brief message. Mirage would normally have been slightly upset at the reply, but matters were too serious at the moment.

"Great. What now, cap'n?" Lieber spoke in a lazy voice as he slouched in his seat disappointedly.

"We can't just turn back. We'll just have to investigate this issue ourselves for now. He mentioned 'Alliance'... wonder what he meant by that." Mirage answered.

Just as Mirage spoke, they could hear a loud rumbling sound that got bigger and bigger and suddenly the whole ship starting shaking rigidly sweeping Mirage off her feet. The alert signal had gone off. Everyone looked towards Marietta curious about the details of their current situation.

"It's- it's something behind us. A battleship! We're being attacked!" Marietta spoke in a shocked voice as she looked more into the data for the details.

"What!" Mirage's eyes were wide open with surprise. "Who is it?"

"Hold on, just let me scan through the data. I-I don't believe it, it's the mothership of the three battle-class ships, the Argyll!" Marietta spoke more shocked than ever.

"The Argyll?" Lieber replied as if he didn't believe her words, "That's one of the strongest federation battleships, and why would they be ambushing us?"

Another jolt. Only this time it was much bigger. More damage was being done to the Diplo, Marietta looked in for damages being done on the ship, while Steeg and Lieber did their best to get the Diplo out of Argyll's firing range.

Steeg was frustrated, "Dammit! We can't avoid it, they're too fast. What do you want to do?"

"There is no way this ship would stand up to a warship like that, the Argyll's weaponry and defenses are even more advanced than the Aqualie ever was. Marietta, quick... enter gravitic warp field as quick as you can, we need to get out of the area immediately. Lieber, Steeg... activate auto-evasion program, we'll need to just get through this until we're back in gravitic warp space."

"Roger!" the three chimed to Mirage's orders.

"Xeim, what are the damage reports?" Mirage looked towards her former student who was behind her going through some data analysis.

"I've just been through them. The rear shields are currently at full power. It appears, the Diplo's shield is severely damaged, it's down to 55 already. The rear engine is still working fine, the hangar is a mess right now. Other than that, we're doing fine for now." Xeim spoke slowly.

"Wow" Mirage put one hand on her cheek, "it seems the Diplo's defense shields have been vastly improved."

Mirage spoke too soon just when another shot from the creation cannon hit the Diplo's wings this time.

"I'm still trying to maintain control here!" Lieber announced proudly.

"Argh! That shot took the shield down to 40... hold on a sec, what's this?" Xeim looked very curious and apalled at the same time.

"What is it, Xeim?" Mirage joined Xeim as she looked into the analysis. "I don't believe this. The transporter is requesting a connection, doesn't look like we can control it. It's operational! But to where? We're out in the middle of nowhere and all connections to our transporters have been cut off. What could possibly be causing this?"

"Captain! Intruder alert! In the hangar, it appears they have transported auto-mechs into our ship through their transporters!" Every word of Marietta caught Mirage by shock.

"H-How is that possible?" Mirage spoke in disbelief. "We'll talk later, Xeim come with me. Prepare for hand-to-hand combat, I hope you're ready."

"Ready as ever." said Xeim very quietly, yet with a lot of confidence.

"Captain, wait." Lieber grabbed his rifle and phase gun, "I've informed the squad, they're on their way right now. And count me into this. Steeg can handle the flight controls."

"Lieber?" Mirage was concerned.

"Trust me. We don't have much time right now, let's go!"

Mirage, Xeim, and Lieber nodded in agreement and made their way to the hangar as Marietta and Steeg did their best to maintain order in the ship. Just as they had reached the transporter near the hangar, they noticed the auto-mechs included robo-gunners along with incapacitators, and the Quark squad team had already arrived. One of the auto-mechs had a voice system implanted in it.

"_Surrender yourself to the Alliance. Refusal to comply will result in annihilation._" was the message from the auto-mech.

"A voice-message system in an auto-mech. Sounds like something from the Vendeeni." Lieber said looking a little confused. "Well, how's this for an answer!" As the rapid fire from Lieber's rifle took down the auto-mech, destroying its voice message system... the other auto-mechs started firing towards its targets and the incapacitators drew closer.

Mirage jumped in front of the robo-gunners distracting them as they drew closer and broadened her shoulders unleashing an energy sphere above her, "Sphere of might!" This slowed the robo-gunners down only for sometime.

Xeim jumped behind the Incapacitators who were just about to sneak up on Lieber. He swung his fists three times with lightning speed, "Electric Fists!" The incapacitators had malfunctioned immediately. Lieber was about to thank Xeim just as he noticed the robo-gunners draw closer towards them, "move out of the way!" he screamed.

"Stay away... Shooting Spree!" Lieber unleashed the bullets in his rifle like mad as the robo-gunners finally went down after eating over a dozen bullets. That took care of them, but there were still too many incapacitators to take care of. Mirage, Xeim, and Lieber found themselves surrounded by an army of them while the rest of the squad team were busy handling the other auto-mechs.

"Just wait until they draw closer. As soon as they charge towards us, we jump out of the way. Don't worry, i'll take care of them." Mirage spoke as Lieber and Xeim agreed, but a little concerned for their captain. And so just as the incapacitators drew close enough and leaped towards them, the three jumped out of the way in enough time as the incapacitators clashed into each other gathered into a large group now. Mirage jumped into the air with a slightly high elevation, clenched her fists together, and swung her fists overhead, "How 'bout this! HAMMER OF MIGHT!"

The huge explosion hit smack in the middle of the area taking down the incapacitators immediately.

"Amazing..." Xeim looked towards Mirage as he had just the raw power of his mentor. "Well, that takes care of them. But it still doesn't look good. We better get back to the bridge, i'm sure these auto-mechs were just a distraction."

"You're right, let's hurry and get back!" Mirage concurred. The three left the mess in the hangar for now and headed straight for the bridge.

------------------------

"How are we holding out now?" Mirage blurted out as soon as they reached the bridge.

"It's odd. The firing has stopped, temporarily I think, but i have almost no control at the current flight speed right now!" Steeg was not any calmer.

"I've located the gravitic warp field, we're just about ready to exit conventional space." Marietta announced, a little happier this time.

"It seems like they thought the auto-mechs would do us in easily. Well then, warp us out of her as soon as possible." Mirage ordered.

Marietta simply nodded, "Roger! Entering gravitic warp immediately."

The Diplo quickly warps out of their current location and out of the Argyll's range.

"Defense shield down to 15... the gravitic warp engine is heating up and it doesn't seem like the conventional space engine will last long either. And all our energy sources have been shot. Seems like we were blasted by four rounds of their disruptor cannons." Xeim said as he checked the data analysis.

"Four rounds! How could a battleship like this withstand an impact like that? Steeg, what's our current location?" Mirage looked towards Steeg as if she was expecting a quick answer.

"We're within the gravitational field of Planet Expel, What should we do?"

"We have to land before we crash. Can you maintain flight control in the direction of Expel?"

"I sure can. Heading for Expel immediately, prepare for emergency landing! It ain't gonna be a pretty one either!"


	3. A Suffering World

**Chapter 3**

**A Suffering World**

The Diplo's engines were heating up to the core by the time they had penetrated through the atmosphere of Expel. The landing, however, was fortunately sound and safe. Everyone took a moment to rest as Marietta began scanning through their current location on Expel.

"So what did you find?" Mirage spoke as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Well, i've scanned through the data. We've landed on the northern shore of the continent of Lacour. It's one of the largest continents in Expel, the town of Lacour is just south from here. It's the closest city to our current location, there is also a port known as the Port of Helrie just towards the west." informed Marietta as she looked deeper into her analysis hoping to plug out more information.

"Well, atleast it's not that bad. I'm sure the inhabitants of this planet would be friendly." Lieber shared his thoughts.

"How would you know that?" asked Xeim, a little cautiously as he looked towards Lieber, "She only provided data on the planet's structure and composition... nothing about the inhabitants."

"Uh... w-well, I just get the feeling! So there! ...wise guy." Lieber snapped back at Xeim.

"I think they call it a hunch," Steeg joined in to tease his brother. "And we all know where he got those from." He continued as he began to snicker which made Lieber even more furious.

"If you're all done having fun now, I think we have some business to take care of." said Mirage looking annoyed, "I suppose we won't be getting off this place for a while now. And in a few hours, this area will be surrounded as long as the ship stays here. I don't think the locals will be taking this too kindly, so i'm going to have to head to the nearest town and brief them of our situation."

"Uh... captain. You sure it's a good idea to give all the details?" asked Lieber looking a little unsure of her plan.

"Don't fret. The UP3 no longer applies to Expel, i'm sure we'll get through it somehow. We just have to make sure that they don't start working up a panic in all this time since the Diplo won't be able to function again in another 10 hours considering the damage that was done." Mirage seemed quite convinced with her plan. It wasn't something new to her, but she was more used to following procedures already laid out to her since this was her first time as captain.

"We'll do our best here," replied Marietta. "It won't be easy, but maybe by tomorrow early morning, everything should be done. I'll be sure to stay in contact."

"That's good to hear. Lieber, Xeim, I think I would have you come with me. Just be prepared, there could be all types of monsters lurking out there... you never know." Mirage had already started to head towards the transporter as she spoke.

"Yes ma'am!" said Lieber as he and Xeim followed Mirage right behind her.

"Be careful guys. And we'll see you soon." Steeg waved his hand as he looked back at the three head out of the bridge.

------------------------

Lacour wasn't too far a distance from the shore. As Mirage, Xeim, and Lieber made their way towards town, they couldn't help but notice the area get darker and more gloomy as they approached Lacour. Somehow they got the feeling there wasn't something right about this. Fortunately, they didn't come in contact with any monsters for them to take care of. As they reached Lacour, it seems there weren't any guards at the moment and the gate was wide open.

"Let's just try and get an audience with the king." Mirage spoke as she looked around the huge town.

The kingdom of Lacour was just built in not too long ago. The famous arena of Lacour Tournament Arms was an interesting sight, but it didn't seem lively at all. The weapon and item shops were extremely exquisite and they had some good item quality there. Despite all the attractions that were worth seeing, there didn't seem to be many locals around the area. Although it was dark, it was odd that there were hardly any people in town.

As Mirage made her way to the gates of the castle, two guards blocked her way. "Sorry, you cannot go any further. If you are here to see the king, he won't be holding an audience until matters are settled."

"What matters?" asked a curious Mirage.

"Hmm judging by how oddly you are dressed, I assume you are travellers so you're not really aware of our situation." the guard on the right said as he examined the three, "Allow me to explain. A group of demons barged in here through the gate trespassing and injuring a few of our guards. They headed south to the town of Linga just a while ago. From the information we have right now, the inhabitants of Linga don't stand a chance against those demons, and there's been all kinds of bloodshed. The king has ordered for their aid but we're still not able to keep matters in control. Citizens of Lacour have evacuated out of town immediately after they heard the news. Port Helrie is crowded at the moment, which i'm sure you must've seen."

"So what do these demons want? And who are they?" Mirage asked as Lieber and Xeim nodded curiously.

"We don't know. We haven't seen something like that before, but we're afraid they might be after the energy stones. I heard one of the demons mention it before he left. I'm sure you'll find more information on this if you head south towards Linga, but I wouldn't suggest doing that. It's far too dangerous." the guard replied.

"Demons... hmm, this sounds familiar." Xeim noted, "Let's head down to Linga for now. We're not going to get anything settled by staying here. And I think we might pick up a clue on the way."

"Well, i'm not usually one for sticking my nose in other's business, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look into this issue." Mirage turned back to the guard as she spoke to him.

"Very well then, be careful strange, yet brave travellers." the guard said as he opened the gate to the south.

The three Quark members discussed the possible reasons for this issue as they headed out of town on their way towards Linga. The path to the town was again very straight and narrow, which didn't seem to be a long way to travel.

"The Demons, could they possibly be from Daemonium?" asked Mirage on the way. "Why would they want these energy stones from a planet like this?"

"I suppose we'll find out when we get there." was the best reply that came to Lieber's mind.

At the arrival of the town of Linga, they couldn't help but notice the wreck caused by the demons. Dead bodies, houses burnt down, and scraps of metal all over the locality. Mirage walked towards the nearest injured man who was lying on the ground in agony.

"Are you still alright?" Mirage asked looking very concerned.

"Ugh... forget me... they're h-headed for the san-sanctuary inside the cave... quick ...!" the injured man passed out as he spoke his last words.

Mirage shook her head as she looked around the town, "The sanctuary. Where could this cave be?"

"Didn't we spot one on our way here? That must be the sanctuary he was talking about. And also where those goddamn demons are headed!" Lieber spoke as he smacked his fist.

"Right then. Let's head to the sanctuary pronto." said Xeim while already on his way outside of the town of Linga.

There wasn't much else to note about Linga, other than the blazing state of the town and the bloody mess. From the state of Linga, the three could already tell they weren't just any normal demons.

And so, just near the town, they found the small cave known as the Sanctuary of Linga where the demons were headed for. They noticed numerous types of herbs and fossils inside the cave. It was quite deep and they encountered a few weak monsters which didn't interest them a bit. Xeim stopped to notice small blood drops on the ground just near the end of the cave.

"They're close by, just keep your guard." Xeim cautioned his friends. The cave started to get a lot darker and foggy. As soon as they thought they reached the dead-end, they noticed a small rigid path just behind the mist that lead to the other side of the cave.

Just as they were about to head into the narrow path, something abruptly blocked their way. A tall and slim demon with long silver hair, floated in the air wielding a bloodlusted sword and blocked their path.

"Well, it seems like you found your way here." the Demon spoke with an elegant voice, "I was wondering why it was taking you Kluasians so long to catch up with us."

"What are you demons here for? Is it the Energy Stones?" Mirage fired questions as she got into her battle stance expecting to be attacked anytime.

"Oh, if you're here in hope to retrieve it, then i'm afraid you're far too late. I would love for you to gaze upon the beautiful stones, but it's too bad you won't be living long enough to enjoy the excitement," the Demon retorted in his simple elegant manner as he swung his sword towards Xeim who dodged it with ease while narrowly setting his eyes on the Demon. "You... you're-"

Before the Demon could complete his sentence, he noticed Mirage and Lieber already charging up behind him hoping for a sneak attack. Xeim shook the demon of his path and ran towards his allies to assist them. "Electric Fists! Take that! And that! And that!" the three lightning quick punches again knocking the Demon down.

"Haaah!" the demon swung his bloody sword once more towards Lieber who barely dodged it. Lieber quickly gave himself some distance to stay safe, "Burn! Sizzle Shot!" Lieber adjusted his phase gun as the sharp fiery laser strucke the Demon from behind weakening his movement.

Mirage clenched her fists together in an axe-handle shape as she jumped into the air, "HAMMER OF MIGHT!" The explosion sweeped the Demon of his feet leaving him in a weak position.

Just as he was about to get back up on his feet, Xeim rushed into them again with lightning speed and shoulder first delivering a heavy blow, "Fiery Tackle!" Meanwhile, Mirage took the time to charge herself on the ground before leaping high into the air and charging into the demon from above striking with her feet, "Try to dodge this! Aerial Assault!" she shouted as she knocked down the demon once more from the impact. The last blow scarred the demon's face as blood dripped from his mouth.

"Heh, you're quite a strong bunch. I won't be forgetting this scar, my pretty damsel." the Demon spoke as he just began recovering. Before anyone noticed, he quickly got back up and struck his blade diagonally enveloping a large flame which engulfed all three of them, "Repent, for death is upon you! Crimson Sword!"

"I won't be wasting my time on a worthless bunch like you, besides i'm not obliged to finish you off." said the Demon as he drew back his sword looking down on the fallen Quark team. "The Alliance has only one true purpose. To revive the Supreme Deity, and you will play an important role." The Demon snickered on every word of his sentence.

"S-Supreme wha-? What'd you wanna d-do that for...?" an injured Lieber managed to blurt out, confused by the Demon's statement.

"A reason you will soon figure out yourselves. Just keep going on mortals, the deeper you fall into this dilemma, the more pawns you will become. Farewell for now, I have to catch up with the rest of my minions. Hahahahahahaa!" And after that, the demon disappeared without another word.

Mirage tried to push herself back up, but she had no strength to do so. Not too long after, all three had lost consciousness.


	4. Truths Unveiled

**Chapter 4**

**Truths Unveiled**

Marietta tried once more with her compact communicator, but again... no response. She slightly worried, but constantly reminded herself that nothing could do in Mirage that easily. She's always looked up to her for many years.

"Got anything yet?" Steeg asked as he returned to the bridge and took his seat for a moment to rest. Just as good of a pilot he is, he has excellent maintenance skills as well. It was really thanks to him that the Diplo got back into shape in no time.

"No, sigh whatever could take this long?" Marietta spoke as she looked down. "She could have atleast contacted us if she was heading off somewhere else."

"I don't think they'd go too far without informing us," Steeg replied as he took sips from his water bottle. "Besides, it's not like they're taking that long. They're only a few hours delayed."

Marietta looked towards Steeg forcing a smile, "I hope you're right. By the way, how did all the repairs go?"

"It was a cinch. It wasn't so bad actually, the Diplo's shields have really gotten much stronger than you think. And we did avoid all those rounds of their cannons. Hmph... guess a pilot's job isn't so easy. I, of all people should know that." said Steeg.

"Well, I guess all we can do is relax for a bit and keep in contact," Marietta said as she laid back a little in a more comfortable position. "By the way, I managed to fish the data you asked me to look for."

"Oh... that? Hey, not bad... that was pretty quick. So what did you find?" Steeg asked impatiently.

"A few things."

"Like?"

"There's too much to explain right now. But maybe we should be thinking about something more important? Like contacting our captain?"

"Well... fine, I suppose I can wait."

"You're a lot easier to convince than your brother, you know that?"

Marietta giggled slightly as she spoke. Steeg simply slouched in his chair not looking so pleased at her comment.

------------------------

A small pile of dust got caught in her nose when Mirage opened her eyes and started breathing a little heavily. She sneezed and then got back onto her feet again finding herself back in the dark cave. She noticed two slouched bodies on the ground a few metres away from her still unconscious, Xeim and Lieber. Just as she started walking towards both of them, she heard a loud beeping signal. Then she had suddenly remembered of Marietta and Steeg who she never bothered to contact!

"Captain! Are you there? This is Marietta!" spoke a loud excited voice from the communicator.

Mirage grabbed the compact communicator from her vest pocket, "Marietta. How are things going?"

"All the repairs were done hours ago. We thought you would have been back by now... you really had us worried!"

"Oh ah... sorry about that. Well, the situation here's fine... uh sort of but i'll brief you in on it later when we get back. Can you wait a little longer?"

"No problem, captain. i'm just glad that everything is fine."

"Thanks."

Xeim and Lieber were a little dizzy and nauseous once they got back up but were still willing to move right away. As they trudged their way slowly out of the sanctuary, their heads filled with thoughts which were still unclear and foggy.

"Looks like we failed the ambush... what a waste of effort." Xeim broke the silence with a moody tone. Out of all three of them, he took the most injury from the vicious blow from the demon. Xeim almost felt his ankle snap at that instant, and to Mirage's surprise, he gained a pretty quick recovery for a non-Klausian.

"I have a suspicion they're somewhat involved in this galactic war. Who knows? The energy stones is probably the only reason they'd invade a planet like this." said Mirage, still deep in her thoughts.

Lieber was just as confused, "So what can we do now? Go after them?"

"Let's head back to Lacour and try to get an audience with the king." Mirage said looking back up now, "This planet should be clear from any hazardous threats... for now."

Heading back to Lacour, they noticed citizens overfilling the city... but it was still far from lively. Probably due to the loss of numerous lives during the day. They made their way towards the castle once again where the receptionist told them that the King was having a busy day with the audience. However, once the guards consulted with the King, the King allowed Mirage and co. to hold an audience with him right away.

"So you say you're not from this world? If so, then forgive me for causing you lot the trouble the terrible monsters gave us. Besides, it's not the first time i've seen people like you." the King of Lacour spoke with a gently, yet firm voice.

"I heard this Kingdom was recently built." said Mirage after everyone payed their respects to the King.

"That is correct. Lacour became such widely known region for its attractions. It was the most lively place in our world... and its result is what you see now. Although our kingdom isn't the only thing new about this city, look around and you'll see monuments like in no other cities." the King went on proudly. They could tell he was proud just by the way he spoke and sort of... rambled on.

"I noticed." Mirage smiled, "so do you know anything about those demons who invaded the city?"

"Ahh..." the King slumped back down once Mirage changed the subject, "I cannot say i've seen something like that before... but from the details i've received, it seems that the demons have all evacuated from this area. And probably from this world as well. But they took something more than precious from us... the energy stones."

"Maybe there's something we can do about that." Xeim spoke with a deep voice.

"Please don't bother, i've already made arrangements for that by making requests from the other kingdoms." said the King, in reply to Xeim.

The king explained that energy stones were the basis of nearly all their necessary supplies. The demons had stolen pretty much every energy stone from the continent. They were, however, unable to tackle the reason for such an action.

"I suppose we're done here then." Mirage stood up as she talked, "We'll make sure misery like that doesn't befall your world again. It'd be sad to see all these citizens lose their family again."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Be careful in your travels now... I pray for your success."

Mirage, Lieber, and Xeim, made their way out of Lacour unable to find the connections between the invasion of Expel and the war within the Sol System. After deciding they had meddled enough with the situation on Expel for now, the Diplo awaited their arrival where Marietta and Steeg were just about ready to fall into a deep slumber.

"Took you guys long enough." Steeg said while batting his eye, "So what were you guys doing? I thought you were just going to speak with the king."

Mirage explained everything with detail to Steeg and Marietta, as well as a few personnel that were present at the bridge during that time. Both Steeg and Marietta's suspicions were similar to Mirage's when they figured the incident on Expel had something to with the war and the planets being seized.

Marietta seemed a little pleased with the analysis, "Captain. It appears that the remote station #7 is now clear from all threats. And the Diplo is fully functional once again, the repairs went through much quicker this time. So what do you want to do now?"

"Set course to remote station #7 right away then. Hopefully we'll get some information about this specific organization there." Mirage said as she took her seat.

Steeg turned to the captain, "By the way, since we're so far behind on the Diplo's mechanisms... I've gathered together a report on all of its enhancements in the past four years. You should take a look at it so we don't have another 'what the hell was that!' moment."

"Will do, is there anything else?" Mirage asked while observing the report handed to her by Steeg.

"Yes... uh well... we'll get to that some other time." Steeg hesitated for a second.

"Do you think we'll get there safely?" asked Xeim.

"We'll manage." Mirage replied while closing her eyelids.

------------------------

"Hey Steeg! What are you doing here?" Lieber jolted open the door to the hangar where he saw Steeg with a few female personnel, "You better head back to the bridge. We're almost there. And w-wha... what's this?"

Lieber noticed that the only members of Quark present in the room besides him and Steeg were all female. He gave a 'whats-going-on' look to Steeg who gave a 'relax' look back at him.

"Oh... this is my co-everything and my brother, the other star of Lazeria like me, who i'm sure you've heard about." Steeg said with a cocky tone, "I'm sure you've heard of him but I don't think he's been given a proper introduction. Of course.. he still follows in my footsteps, heh."

Lieber nudged Steeg's shoulder who was right in front of him, "Uhh... hey, I thought we agreed on being equal in situations like this!" he whispered quietly into his ear.

Steeg gave a quick glance over the females who seemed worn out and then whispered back to Lieber, "This is different... Just stay calm!"

One of the female personnel stood up from her seat and spoke up, "Well, err... thanks for the introduction and all but I think we all have work to do as do you. We'll talk later, and oh! Since you're giving out introductions, maybe you can introduce me to Xeim sometime as well?" The other female personnel seemed to agree with this one and they left the hangar leaving Steeg and Lieber alone.

"Ohh dear..." Steeg whined while slouching, "If you hadn't come, it would have all worked out fine."

"I think it was you, bro." Lieber said looking at Steeg beside him with shifty eyes.

"I guess you're right." Steeg spoke with a depressed tone, "I'm nowhere as good as Cliff at this."

"Still... they seemed to be interested in Xeim a little. Why would they fall for that depressed emo dude anyway?"

"True, even Mirage said that he reminded her of Cliff."

"Pffft. Just between me and you Steeg, that guy pisses me off."

This time, there were no anomalies. Lieber and Steeg were able to guide the Diplo to the remote station with Marietta's help. In fact, their flight course was so smooth, they reached their destination point a couple hours earlier than expected.

After their arrival to Remote Station #7... Mirage, Lieber, Xeim, Steeg, and Marietta headed for the transporter where they were greeted by the station's security team. One of the security members guided them to the second floor where they were to meet with the commander, "You're lucky to catch the commander at a good time, he's usually too busy to hold appointments like these. I've also received word from him, you may see him right away."

Mirage thanked the security member before they headed over to the conference room where the same silver-haired man who they encountered on the comm link seemed to be awaiting their arrival patiently.

"Please be seated." were his first words, "It sure is great to see Quark finally cooperate with the Federation after many years. Anyway, i'm Commander Paulin, I believe we've met before on the comm link. I'm terribly sorry about that, but you may have noticed situations were far too disastrous to allow any ships to enter within our region."

"We understand." said Mirage as she sat down on one of the seats available in front, "We were ambushed by the Argyll earlier, so we know what it must have been like."

"You what!" Command Paulin's expression changed from calm to aghast, "How did you ever manage an attack from a warship like that?"

"It's all thanks to the upgrades on the Diplo's defensive shields." Xeim chimed in, "it looks like it can withstand a few attacks from warships. It'd still be pretty stupid to engage in a battle with a ship like that."

_'Of course that would be stupid, how idioticly obvious.'_ Lieber thought to himself.

"I hope you understand that the Argyll is no longer in the Federation's control." Commander Paulin sighed.

Mirage narrowed her eyes as she asked the commander, "So what does this terrorist organization want anyway?"

"They call themselves the Alliance," the commander spoke again after taking a few deep breaths. "We suspect that's mainly because they do not consist of a single race. Members of this organization vary from Earthlings, Demons, Roakians, Vendeeni, and even a few monster species. We're not exactly sure what their motives are, but they are constantly involved in the invasion of planets, mostly underdeveloped, to gather materials so they can fulfill one single purpose. We're unaware of that purpose, but all we really care about... is to stop them at all costs. Not only is their assassination and taking property to what isn't theirs becoming problematic within the Pangalactic Federation, but at the same time they ignore the UP3 law at a very high level."

"Alliance. So those demons..." Mirage pondered while scratching her chin slowly.

"What?" questioned the commander.

"During the ambush, the Diplo's engines were heated up to its core and we were forced to land on the Planet Expel. We encountered a demon who was in search for energy stones in the continental region. Of course we were unable to stop him, but he did leave us with a clue. There is no doubt now that he was involved with the Alliance." The rest nodded to Mirage's words.

"It definitely sounds like it." the command agreed.

Marietta felt a little curious, "So what's the problem? Why can't you put an end to this terrorism?"

"It's not that easy," Commander Paulin said as he looked towards Marietta. "The Alliance's power is something you should never under-estimate. They make use of their powers that come from a force far surpassing the arts of symbology. We are unaware of how this is done, but they use this power for many things... such as producing mass weaponry, concealing all their bases from visual sight, performing many experiments which we are still unaware of, and many other things. We are still trying to gather all the pieces of information on them before we can plan out a logical offense."

"It seems you have a long way to go," Mirage spoke as she slightly slouched back on her seat.

"I suppose you're all willing to lend a hand on this matter?" the commander asked as if he already knew the answer, but he just wanted to make sure.

"Why not?" Mirage answered, "It seems you need all the help you can get."

"I'm glad to hear that. Then let me brief you in on the current location of our military forces and our enemy..."

According to the words of Commander Paulin, the Federation ships were currently held in a warship battle in the Elicoorian region. It was highly likely that Alliance forces may invade Elicoor II. When she heard the name of the planet, Mirage was really beginning to worry. That was the home of many of her friends, she wondered whether they will be able to defend themselves or not.

Once the meeting was over, Mirage thanked the commander for briefing them on the situation and did not waste any time in heading back to the Diplo along with the rest of the crew.

"Once again, we're all set and the Diplo is just about ready for blast off." Steeg mentioned turning towards Mirage, "We're just waiting for your orders."

"We're heading for Elicoor II immediately. Hopefully we will be able to stop them just in time." Mirage spoke not looking any less worried as she was during the conference.


	5. A Reunion for Many

**Chapter 5**

**A Reunion for Many**

"Where did Xeim run off to?" Steeg looked around the area of the bridge where Xeim was nowhere to be seen.

"Leiber decided to show him around the Diplo," Mirage answered. "Atleast this gives them a chance to spend some time together and learn how to get along with each other."

It was yet another smooth trip and just as they neared the region of Elicoor II. Back at the bridge, Marietta felt compelled to bring up her concern to Mirage. It was about the data she had looked up on Steeg's request.

"Captain, we are about to enter Elicoor II's orbit. And... I think you might be interested on the data I have collected while we were on Vanguard." said Marietta.

Mirage gave Marietta a confused look. "Data? I don't remember giving any orders about that. ...What were you up to?"

"Well... uhm... sorry... I know you didn't give any orders but-..." Marietta spoke nervously while looking down trying not to see Mirage's disappointed expressions on her face. "I've gathered some information on Maria."

Suddenly Mirage forgot about Marietta's actions and her interest raised towards her words. "Maria? Do you mean Maria Traydor?"

"Yup. Maria Traydor." Steeg butted in, "I asked Marietta to look into it so it's my fault really, but i'm sure you must be just as curious as I am. We haven't heard of her in the past few years. I was wondering what she's up to, and more importantly, whether she's safe."

"No, she's safe. I'm sure of it." Mirage replied looking a lot more concerned. "She wouldn't go down that easily. I trained her after all, and she was by far the best student I've had."

Marietta was delighted at Mirage's words, "Yes, and what's more amazing is that she's not even a Klausian. Yet she's able to show such immense power."

"Anyway, thanks for letting me know about it. I didn't expect to see her out here really, she did say she wanted start a fresh, new, and normal life. I don't blame her for doing so, considering what she had been put through So what is it that you found about her?" Mirage asked.

"Well, I have it all right here," Marietta spoke as she loaded up the data. "During the beginning of the new era, she was off to the planet Edifice. I even remember her telling me that before disbanding Quark. I don't think she has moved from there ever since, there is not much else I could find on her, I suppose that is where she resided. Apparently, Edifice was one of the planets that was attacked by the Alliance, but there were no reasons given for their action. She must have known about the attack, I wonder if she's still in Edifice. Knowing Maria, she wouldn't just sit back and twiddle her thumbs while a war was going on... i'm sure she's looking into this matter just like us."

"It would have helped if we worked together again, don't you think?" asked Steeg.

"Yes," was Mirage's short answer. "but it can't be helped as of now. We don't know where she is, let's just keep going. If she really is after the Alliance just like we are, i'm sure we'll cross paths eventually. All we can do now is head for Elicoor, and make sure it doesn't get the same treatment Expel and Edifice suffered from. Also, don't mention this to Lieber yet. It took a while for him to get over her, we don't want to bring all that back again. It won't do good to his mind."

"Roger, captain." replied Marietta.

"Oh and Marietta?"

"Yes?"

"Sorry about earlier."

"Oh, about me looking up the data? No, it's my fault actually... I'll learn to stick to the orders you give out from now on before taking such a step. Besides, your reaction showed just how fit you are for a captain."

"Thanks." Mirage smiled.

------------------------

It was the same group: Mirage, Lieber, and Xeim who decided to explore the regions of Elicoor II. The tough Klausian didn't bring along any other armed personnel members of Quark to avoid an attraction to the large number of groups. The transporter led them out into the Kirlsa Hills. Mirage took a few steps forwards as she stared out at the vast regions of the area, she even recognized the smell... Kirlsa's famous dishes were known for their delicious aroma which spread throughout the whole mining town and even parts of the hills surrounding the town. Suddenly, her heart felt a rush of excitement knowing that this journey will be no less than the one she had been through four years ago.

"I heard you're familiar with this area." Xeim spoke as he looked towards Mirage who seemed lost in her memories.

"Yes, I suppose you can say that I know this place quite well," Mirage spoke as she kneeled down to touch the ground with her fingers. "We're in Airyglyph territory, the other sides leads to Aquaria. We're going to have to split up if we want to be more efficient in this investigation."

"I suppose i'll head towards Kirlsa then." Xeim spoke looking straight ahead.

"Right! And i'm gonna go the other way with the captain." Lieber shot back quickly after hearing Xeim.

Mirage was a little concerned about Xeim, "I suppose that works fine then. Xeim, just don't head too far off. Me and Lieber will only go as far as Peterny, we'll meet up there. It's a large trading town, you won't miss it. We'll be waiting at the inn. And keep in touch with me, if any suspicions rise in your area then contact me immediately. We'll do the same."

"Roger." Xeim nodded.

------------------------

Meanwhile in the 2nd Outer Alliance Station, a soldier takes the transporter to reach the commander's room where the commander impatiently awaited for his report. There were atleast 10 Outer Alliance Stations scattered around the Eternal Sphere, which were concealed so well that none were ever exposed to the federation's sight.

"Commander Shin, we have received orders just now from the Inner Alliance team." the soldier saluted before his commander who seemed to be very laid back with his position as the commander of the Outer Alliance.

"Hmph. What does Wakou want this time?" Commander Shin spoke as he turned towards his inferior. "Is it about the Elicoorian route?"

"Yes." the soldier nodded.

"Ah, we're almost done. Once we get all the materials we'll need for this nice little field trip, we'll be on our way to carry out the plan soon. I know Wakou doesn't like to waste any time, but tell him to hold onto his pants for once. Things are running smoothly," Shin grinned wickedly.

Despite his laid back and rude attitude, Shin was one of the most responsible and strict members of the Alliance team.

The soldier became worried at how lightly this matter was being taken by his commander, "Very well, we should carry out this order successfully and as quickly as possible."

"Ain't nothing gonna go wrong at this point," Shin replied as he slumped back onto his seat and turned towards the right corner of his room, "Besides, we have our trump card right here."

Another being hidden by the shadows from the dark area stood in the corner of the room. He was tall, vigorous, and wore dark black teenage clothes. "Yeah, but we're gonna have to be a little more hasty on this one. It's not going to be as simple as our other tasks."

Commander Shin narrowed his eyes towards his mysterious subordinate, "Why do you say that?"

"..." the tough individual shot a look straight up above his head. "Call it a hunch."

------------------------

It was almost nighttime just when the village of Arias caught their eye. Mirage and Lieber decided to spend the night in town, and continue the next morning. However, just before they could get anywhere near the entrance to the town, they noticed the area around them was becoming enveloped by shadows. Before they could turn the other way, a gang of thieves and scumbags along with a wolfpack came in charging towards the two and surrounded them.

"Well, how about that? We got us a cute girl and a purple-shirted wimp today." one of the thieves stepped forward pointing his dagger towards the two, "Don't worry, I won't do anythin' dirty... i'm in a good mood today so just hand over everything ya got and we'll let you move on! An' don't try to act smart, or else..."

"Well geez," Lieber shook his head looking down. "I thought we'd be in for some real butt-kicking risky situations with the Alliance, and we get a bunch of scumbags to deal with instead. Some mission! Oh well, atleast this will be a nice warm-up."

"Don't underestimate them Lieber," Mirage spoke while still keeping her eyes on her enemies, "We might need all the strength we have, just keep your guard up. You'll have to fight conservatively when you're up against a large group like this one."

"So you wanna fight, huh?" the thief spoke nervously, "I'm gonna rip you to shreds! Whirlwind Slashes!"

The thief charged straight towards both of them slashing his dagger mindlessly in mid-air as the rest of the creatures followed his lead. Lieber followed Mirage's advice and did his best to keep a good distance from his foes while Mirage took care of herself up front.

"Sphere of Might!" screamed out Mirage as she was able to hold two or three within the radius of the spherical energy, but it wasn't enough to distract all of them in total. She flipped over her enemies to evade their dagger thrusts and siderolled to keep away from their slashes and the wolves' charging fangs, she threw a few punches and kicks here and there but none were strong enough to take them down. Meanwhile Lieber jumped atop a small hill about 2 metres high and was able to get enough time to charge a ball of energy from his phase gun which was surrounded by lightning.

"Spark Orb!" the ball of lightning energy shot towards the group of enemies which were all in one area trying to tackle Mirage, but the orb surrounded all the enemies and shocked them with lightning sparks as Mirage got away in the nick of time. She jumped towards a large boulder and used it as a ledge to jump into a higher elevation as she clutched her fists together and swung them overhead smacking them onto the ground as she came down.

"Hammer of Might!" the impact created a small crack on the ground that led towards the enemies and exploded just beneath the lightning orb dispatching every foe in sight.

"Not bad," said Mirage as she stood back up. "You held yourself pretty well. What's with the phase gun by the way?"

Lieber whipped out his phase gun again and showed it to Mirage who was observing it carefully, "It's an elemental phase gun, it's one of a kind... straight from the Klaus headquarters, although they were originally constructed by the Federation."

"From the Federation?" Mirage asked looking surprised. "I didn't know Klaus had gotten that friendly with them. Seems like a lot has changed in the past four years..."

"Let's just hope the coming days don't change too much." Lieber said. Mirage understood that he was referring to the Alliance and she nodded in agreement as they headed towards Arias.

Arias was a prosperous village compared to what it had been like four years ago. Buildings and monuments were in shambles due to the war, and the village was suffering financially, but all that had changed. The village had expanded and was overflowing with many Aquarian citizens, it was almost like the mining town of Kirlsa. One aspect that hadn't changed, however, was the one mansion that sat right in the middle of the village. It was the mansion of the Aquarian maidens working on behalf of the Queen's royalty. Mirage figured it'd be the best place to gather information around Elicoor for now.

Upon entering the mansion, Mirage and Lieber were greeted by many Aquarian soldiers and runologists of whom some recognized Mirage immediately. Two other Aquarian maidens came into sight from the conference room at the end of the hall.

Mirage was able to recognize them immediately, "Farleen? Tynave? Is that you?"

"Oh! It's Miraaage!" Farleen squealed out. "It's so good to seeee you again!"

"It is indeed good to see you again. It must have been a long journey to come all the way here." Tynave spoke in a very formal voice.

"Yes, you can definitely say that again. And you two seem fine as well, that's a relief." Mirage replied.

Tynave looked a little confused, "Fine? Well, yes. There hasn't been anything wrong... for a while atleast. Come on, let's head for the conference room and we'll discuss further."

More runologists and soldiers of Aquaria were present in the conference room, but the one Mirage was especially glad to see was the leader of the Crimson Blade, Clair Lasbard. She looked delighted although Mirage could tell there was something bothering her deep inside which she really didn't feel like expressing.

"I'm really glad you stopped by," Clair spoke. "Same with your friend."

Lieber brushed his hair back while keeping his chest up high looking stout, "Heh, thanks. Call me Lieber by the way. Hehehe Man... Cliff was so right!"

"About what?" Mirage raised an eyebrow as she turned towards Lieber.

Lieber grinned while staring at Clair, "The Aquarian maidens have a nice...you know... uh, rear!"

Mirage didn't hesitate to give the back of Lieber's head a good slap!

"Ow!" Lieber shouted as he quickly put his hand on his head.

"Hmph! Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring you in place of Xeim after all." Mirage spoke furiously before turning towards Clair. "I'm sorry, forgive our rudeness."

Tynave crossed her arms and batted her eye, "How rude."

"And a PERVERT!" Farleen chimed in.

Although Farleen and Tynave were inexpressibly angry at Lieber's comment, Clair simply chuckled. "It's all right. Let's just have a seat for now... make yourselves at home. And i'm sure we all have a lot to discuss."

After dinner was served, Mirage gave a brief summary on their situation, and told them about the Alliance. To her surprise, Clair didn't look as shocked as expected, the one who was in for a shock was Mirage. Clair told her that similar situations had been confronted here before.

Mirage looked around and although she had noticed that Nel was not around, she figured that Nel was busy in her tasks. She did, however, bring up her concern in words, "Where is Nel? I haven't seen her around."

Nel was another one of Clair's subordinates and her closest friend who is also a member of the Crimson Blades and takes orders directly from the Queen.

Clair looked extremely disappointed and spoke a lot less enthusiastically, "That's something i've been wanting to get to you. You do remember Fayt Leingod, don't you?"

That was a name Mirage, Lieber, and the rest of the crew wouldn't forget in a lifetime. Fayt Leingod, was a victim of symbological genetics, like Maria... who led his companions to free themselves from the clutches of the Creator and most of all, give everyone a reason to exist. Once a regular 19 year old teenager, and then just a few weeks after... he is labelled as a "hero" in the official database. Along with his friend Sophia, he headed back to his home planet Earth during the start of the new era. If there was one person who brought the coming of the new era, it was Fayt Leingod.

"Hey, is that supposed to be a joke?" Lieber muttered. "He did piss me off sometimes, but that's not just some guy you're gonna forget, know what I mean?."

Clair went on as every word she spoke intrigued Mirage and Leiber. Weeks ago, Fayt returned to Elicoor with a warm welcome just like Mirage. He had some troops along with him who looked to be part of the Federation, and he said the reason for their appearance was to make sure the OPA was secure, and warn the Queen about the Alliance. As expected, confusion surrounded the citizens around Elicoor about the Alliance, but the Queen knew Fayt wouldn't speak nonsense so she immediately called for full security to protect the shrine. Prior to his leave, it was Albel Nox of the Airyglyph army, who wanted to aid Fayt in his journey. Fayt refused at first but Albel convinced him to a deal. They had a duel, and if Albel was victorious, Fayt would have no choice but to accept him. Albel, who was training all these years and looking to even the score with his former rival held nothing back before defeating Fayt.

Nel Zelpher meanwhile, was given the task of aiding Fayt in his journey seeing as things in Elicoor were running as smooth as ever. Nel was thrilled from this mission she had been assigned, and she told Fayt that she had to stick with her orders so she had no choice but to go along with Fayt and Albel.

"...And that isn't all," Clair went on. "A few days later Fayt and Albel returned to bring some horrible news. Nel was abudcted by the Alliance in the process of infiltrating the main lab on Vendeen. None of the Federation members could withstand the power of the Alliance team on that planet."

"Wow!" Lieber replied impressed with Clair's knowledge. "Man, there goes the UP3..."

"...And that's what you're concerned about, Lieber? So much has happened in our absence," Mirage spoke looking extremely dismal. "So Fayt and Albel are with the Federation right now. It's no surprise Fayt would be given a high rank immediately despite his age."

"Lady Clair has been down in the dumps ever since she heard about Nel," said Tynave.

"She hardly rests and eaaats tooo!" Farleen squealed.

"Well, it's not going to help Nel if you worry so much about her," Lieber said trying to console Clair. "So no point in hurting yourself too."

"Thanks, um... Lieber. I'll take care of myself, don't worry. You two have a big day ahead of yourselves tomorrow... and it's already dark. Why don't I show you the guest rooms upstairs? You all must be tired." replied Clair.

Farleen and Tynave, however were willing to take on the task of showing them to their rooms instead. Mirage also advised Clair to not stress herself out and get some rest.

The night looked like it was going to last forever. Mirage felt uneasy about her situation, she could not help but feel that there were much more terrible things happening in the Eternal Sphere than what she thinks. It wasn't like her to let her mind get the better of her, and that bothered her even more. She popped out of bed and left the mansion in the middle of the night walking around the small field across the mansion. There was another person kneeling before one of the graves out in the field. It was Clair.

"You know, you could have atleast tried to rest," Mirage said while crossing her arms.

"Oh, Mirage." Clair stood abruptly in response. "I usually spend some time here every night. It's mother's grave, since father has been away as usual busy with his own tasks... just visiting this place makes me feel much closer to my mother than father."

"I can understand the pain," Mirage put her hand on Clair's shoulder. "My mother passed away at an early age too. Even though my father is always there with me to comfort me and to make feel less lonely at times, I always feel like i'm missing out on some things... no, many things in life."

Clair turned towards Mirage, "Yes, it must be hard. I couldn't imagine not having Nel, Farleen, and Tynave with me. Nel and I are different in that way, I want us all to be together at all times, I feel much more secure when I have some kind of support. That's why father is always so desperate to get me married, but that's not what i'm looking for... and it annoys me. Nel is able to hold herself quite well though, there is nothing more serious to her than her mission... she tries hard to follow the footsetps of her father. I commend her for that... and you as well."

"I have to admit," replied Mirage. "It is a lot tougher when you're alone."

"I've decided."

"About what?"

"I'm going to come with you."

"With us? But why?"

"Don't you think you'd need the help? Unless you think i'm going to slow you down."

"It's not that. But think about the conditions here. Nel left you the task of working on her behalf, taking direct orders from the Queen, leaving this task would just be counterproductive. And if Elicoor ever falls in danger from the Alliance, you should be here where people like Farleen and Tynave will need you."

"Yes. sigh You're... right."

"And about Nel... don't worry about it. I'll take care of that, i'm sure we'll find her. I promise."

Clair looked surprised and delighted, "Thank you. Then... I shall keep my hopes up for you. Be careful out there."

"Don't worry," Mirage smiled. "We should get some rest now. Look... the sun has begun to rise already."

Clair nodded and promised Mirage she'd take better care of herself from now on.

The next day, after Mirage and Lieber bid farewell to Clair and her subordinates, they left the riverfront village of Arias using the east exit and headed towards the Palmira Plains.


	6. Mystical Insights

**Chapter 6**

**Mystical Insights**

The Talwar was one of the Alliance's most elegant battleclass ships shaped like a broadsword. Recorded as the most powerful battleship sighted in the Federation's database, no battleship has ever dared come close to it. It's one of the few Alliance battleships that is visible to the naked eye.

Rudra Archewing, an exotic mercenary working on behalf of the Inner Alliance, was aboard on the Talwar to secure his superior who was travelling as a VIP on the ship. What he didn't have in size, he made up for speed and he was one of Alliance's swiftest combatants. Rudra made his way into the VIP room to bring in the latest reports from the Outer Alliance.

"Sir Wakou," Rudra spoke in a monotonous voice. "we've just recently received reports from the OA team."

Wakou, a well dressed and sophisticated gentleman, stood in his place with his back turned to Rudra. He stared out the window shield into the empty space, "Ah, I was wondering when I would hear that. Have a seat, Rudra."

"Thank you." Rudra humbly accepted his captain's order.

"You've proven to be one of the most efficient and trustworthy member of my people. I don't know if it's spirit, strength, or just salary, but I know... i've chosen well." Wakou said _very_ quietly. He was almost whispering, many took it as a sign of there being an esoteric meaning behind his every word.

"I appreciate your kind words." Rudra replied. "The report is from Commander Shin, he is currently working on the Elicoorian Route, it is only a matter of a few hours before the task will take place. What are your orders from there?"

"The situation will tell. We'll wait for further notices, tell Shin to keep in touch... and not get so reckless with his task."

"Yes, such carelessness will only lead to his demise. He seems to be leaving all his tasks to that new subordinate."

"I've heard about him. And I suppose he'd be taking him along on this one as well. Hmph. Dog. Anyway, what happened with the Federation? That didn't go so well, it seems."

"The Argyll's shields weren't durable enough... and the Federation fleets had already outnumbered us."

"I see. Heh heh. I guess even the Federation's best potential turns out to be worthless.

"Still, the Argyll could have easily avoided that mess... if it wasn't for that damn puny Klausian ship."

"Klausian ship?"

"Yes. Supposedly, a ship from Klaus interfered with our task, looks like the Federation got clever and used it to distract us. It didn't retaliate to our assault, so I assume it wasn't a battleship, and what's worse... they luckily got away."

"Heh, it looks like Klaus wasn't smart enough to keep out of the mess. Those guys must really desire trouble."

"They looked harmless. I don't think they'd cause much problem."

"No, we won't ignore our new guests. We'll have to keep an eye on them."

Rudra nodded to Wakou's orders, "Leave that to me."

Wakou shook his head. "The Argyll's still going under heavy repairs at our base. Once we reach our destination, we have other plans to carry out. Give this task to Shin once the Elicoorian Route is complete. It'll give the dog something to be busy with."

------------------------

Kirlsa was one of the biggest town in Airyglyph territory, only second to the city of Airyglyph itself. It was also the home of Woltar's mansion, the head of Airyglyph's Storm Brigade. After a peaceful night at the inn, Xeim decided to take a look around town and gather information about any recent events that had occured on Elicoor.

'_Taste the Savory Bar' hmm, maybe I can find out something about this underdeveloped planet in here_' Xeim thought to himself. The bar was overfilled with soldiers, knights and citizens celebrating toasts and just wasting themselves during their first break. An empty stool was available and Xeim went over to the counter to question the bartender.

"Here... knock yourself out first." the bartender tossed him a bottle of Kirlsa's savory wine without Xeim's request.

After taking a few chugs of the wine, he tasted the flavor in his mouth, and then took another few chugs. He didn't look impressed at all, "Do you have something with a little more flavour?"

The bartender including many others in sight were shocked at his response, "What!" he blurted out angrily. "You say somethin' about our special wine! Get the hell outta here, you ain't gonna find more flavor anywhere else!"

"Hmph." Xeim shrugged as he got off the stool. "Man. Touchy, and I thought they would atleast have a decent drink to offer in a backwater place like this."

"GET THIS BASTARD!" the bartender bellowed furiously.

A few got up instantly to attack Xeim in an impulsive fashion while others stayed back fearing the size of Xeim. One man leaped towards Xeim and got smacked by one punch straight to his right cheek sending the man flying to the corner. More fear and more anger. Some tried throwing Xeim off his feet with sweeps but he leaped in time to avoid being tripped and he simply blocked the wine bottles which others tossed with his forearm which was bleeding intensely. Xeim threw punches and kicks to anyone who tried to attack him from behind, one brittle old man leaped on Xeim's back and attempted to pound his head with his cane, but Xeim rushed backwards and slammed his back against a wall breaking a few bones in the old man's body. Once the fight had settled down, Xeim kneeled down on one knee to catch his breath, he then stood back up and wiped the blood on his forearms with his palms before walking out.

From the clues he had gathered, Xeim concluded that the Alliance was nowhere in this area. He thought about contacting Mirage straight away but he figured it'd be best to move further and inspect a little more to be sure the territory is completely clear of any risks. The north exit in Kirlsa led to the Bequerel Mountain Path. The path was completely clear and Xeim watched his step as he moved forward. The ground just got rockier and rockier as he moved west before reaching a tiny waterfall on the mountains of Barr.

'_There's a cave behind the waterfall_' Xeim took a closer look and his suspicion was correct. However before he could enter he heard a loud roaring sound from above. An enormous flying dragon of atleast 12 metres in diameter exhaled a fiery breath in Xeim's direction who leaped from place to place avoiding the dragon's attack.

The dragon's elevation was far too high above ground for Xeim to play even a little offensive. He was successful in being able to evade most of the creature's attacks, but time passed and Xeim began to grow weary. He decided to play a little game and wait until the flying beast descended to slash the tough man with its claws, and then landed a quick roundhouse kick to its head after successfully dodging yet another attack. This angered the dragon and it began flying around the area furiously shooting its breath everywhere. The area was beginning to turn into crisp with its flames, and the dragon this time grabbed Xeim by the shoulders with both its claws and took him up with it.

"Gaaah!" Xeim screamed out as the dragon flew off to a separate area with Xeim's body in its clutches. It dropped him in another part of the mountains where it landed on the ground near him and charged its breath to unleash a fatal attack. Xeim wasting no time to get up while having nearly no strength left ran towards the dragon to disrupt it with two launch kicks.

"Hah! Yah!" the scaly beast however did not stop inhaling, which gave its undersized opponent another chance to strike.

"Uppercut!" Xeim launched a rising uppercut with his right fist which was surrounded by a massive force of energy. The force was strong enough to launch the dragon high up in the air, Xeim followed his uppercut with roundhouse kicks that continued to launch the dragon up and down, however due to the massive size of the feral dragon... the juggle game didn't continue for too long. Just when Xeim had hoped the assault was enough to take it down, it got back up and was able to fly into the air once again. It unleashed its powerful breath once more but this time nothing came out. Instead, the clouds gathered in the air above it in less than a second and struck the fierce dragon with a powerful lightning strike. The consecutive lightning strikes showered the feral dragon with bolts and jolts killing it as it hit the ground flat with a hard thud! The clouds had disappeared shortly after.

Xeim was astonished and confused at the same time. He walked towards the dragon and made sure what happened was real. It didn't even twitch, it laid there looking as if it had been cooked while lightning sparks still flew all around its body.

"Don't look so surprised, dear..." a deep feminine voice spoke from behind. Just the voice was enough to send chills up Xeim's spine. "You'll get used to seeing species like these if you have been living around here for the longest time like I have."

Xeim turned to give the woman a quick glance. She was a middle-aged woman covered in black garments completely, revealing only her face and her thin and pale hands. She was incredibly beautiful, with dark waxy lips, eye shadow, and glittery cheeks.

"So, it was you..." Xeim said as he walked a little closer to the enigmatic female. "Are you a symbologist?"

The lady laughed slightly, "No, i'm an alchemist. Alchemists don't make use of symbols... we are generally known for transmutation of metals and invoking the essence of pure minerals. That was... just another one of my tricks. Alchemy is potentially a lot more powerful than symbology, but you also have to be willing to give a lot more."

"Like what?"

"Time mainly, but to be able to use alchemy in the form of greater power and range, you'll need alchemist stones." the woman displayed orbs of different color and texture to Xeim. "Like symbologists use symbols, and runologists use their engraved runes, some types of alchemy require alchemist stones."

"Right, right..." Xeim retorted not the least bit interested in the topic, just when a thought shook him. "Oh. Mirage. I have to contact her, it's been a while. You... have you heard of the Alliance or any terrorist group around here?"

"No..." the woman replied as she still looked down at the mystical stones in her palm.

"Hmm, I suppose there really is nothing here then. Looks like the Federation must already be dealing with them. I'm gonna head towards Peterny... I suppose you wouldn't want to stay here any longer, would you?"

The mystical alchemist ran through some deep thoughts before answering, '_This young man isn't from this world. Then maybe..._'

"Please take me along then." she nodded her head.

"Yeah, you'd probably find a better workshop there anyway. This might take a while... I don't know exactly where we are. Oh... by the way, i'm Xeim Juran." Xeim lent his hand.

The gorgeous lady thought of shaking his hand but decided to simply walk past him, "Misty. Misty Lear."


	7. We Are Coming Too!

**Chapter 7**

**We Are Coming Too!**

The Palmira Plains wasn't as much of a cakewalk as it looked. It was filled with overgrown lizards, scorpions, and horned turtles which the two managed to fight off. The short trip ended when the town of Peterny came into Mirage's sight.

Peterny was a town of all sorts of sights on Elicoor. It was the central region separating Aquarian and Airyglyph territory. Mirage noticed that the town had gotten almost twice as lively as it had been four years ago. The newest attractions involved technology too advanced for Elicoor, she suspected it was something from Greeton.

"So far, there's nothing we've seen of the Alliance around here cap'n." Lieber said as he looked around town.

Mirage was doing the same, "I contacted Marietta earlier before leaving Arias. She gathered some details about the Alliance. According to the Federation... the Alliance haven't launched an attack on Elicoor. So this place is safe for a while... but we were requested to stay here until anything happens."

"But how do we even know they'll do something?" Lieber asked looking irritated. "We can't just stay here forever."

Mirage sighed, "And I don't understand why the Alliance would be here. We still don't know much, but I doubt we'd be given a task they were not sure of. Anyway, we'll wait for Xeim here before we head towards Aquios. Do what you need to in the meantime... we'll meet in front of the cenral market. I'm going to try contacting Xeim again, I hope he's alright."

Lieber consented to Mirage's response and decided to explore the town a little. Passing the inn and the weapon shops he came across a fruit market that offered him blueberries and blackberries at a decent price. "I'll take three." Lieber's stomach felt a little empty despite the heavy dinner he was offered last night.

He noticed a really fancy and glittering sign in front of another shop titled, "Craftsman's Guild" followed by a round smiley face. The sign prompted him to enter out of curiosity where he was greeted cheerfully by a number of inventors.

"Welcome!" they all chimed together near the entrance. Confetti was blown all around Lieber as a pile of cotton and ribbons were dropped from the ceiling.

Lieber scratched his head slowly with a puzzled look on his face, "Er... hi? What the hell's all this for?"

A short and excited young girl with ponytails jumped out in front, "Hi! I'm Welch Vineyard, and this special welcome is for you being our 1000th costumer! Congratulations! So, do you need an explanation of the guild's layout before you start inventing?"

"Oh, he does look a little classy, I bet he's already familiar with it!" said an old women who looked to be a member of the guild.

Lieber slowly backed away, "W-Wait... Inventor-? Uh... i'm not looking to sign up for anything, I was just exploring around the town. Heh." he brushed his attire nervously.

"WHAT!" Welch screamed. "And I was even looking to throw in a free date to our special costumer! Well, since you won't just get away with our warm welcome for free, I demand you be a part of this guild!"

His eyes suddenly turned wide open. "A date? Yeah, um that's what I came here for actually. To become part of this guild."

"That was just a joke, you idiot!" Welch yelled. "Now come... let me show you around Peterny's workshop."

'_What the heck did I get myself into?_' Lieber thought to himself as he followed Welch out of the Craftsman Guild and headed across to the item workshop.

"Lieber. So you're still here," a familiar voice struck Lieber as he turned towards his right. It was Xeim with Misty whom Lieber did not recognize. Lieber tried to act tough as Xeim approached him.

"Well duh, wasn't that the plan?" Lieber said sarcastically.

Xeim looked around the area everywhere before asking, "Where is Mirage?" Welch was given an odd look, "And who's that? You're girlfriend?"

Suddenly, Welch raised both her eyebrows as her eyes shined from the sunlight, "Oh, us two, we're going on a date!" She put her arm around Lieber.

"Wait, n-no..." Lieber tried to murmur his way out.

"Great!" Xeim smirked as he crossed his arms. "What better way to kill time, huh?"

"Hey we're not on a date." Lieber took Welch's arm off his shoulder who seemed to be almost cuddling with him, "She was just going to show me the workshop."

"Oh, way to blow the act!" Welch stomped her foot on the ground angrily.

Lieber diverted his attention towards Xeim. "Wait a minute," he put his finger on his lip as he looked towards the woman beside Xeim. "You're one to talk, musclehead! Who's this woman you brought along?"

Misty stepped up front to respond, "My name is Misty Lear."

"Ohhh sexy voice, nice pick Xeim." Lieber snickered before Welch gave him a hard kick on his shin. "Ow!"

"..." Misty and Xeim were both silent as if they were waiting for Lieber to discuss serious matters.

"Ahem! Okay, Mirage must be waiting for us at the central market area, so let's get going." Lieber replied in a serious tone. It was hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic or not.

"Serious-pokes!" Welch yelled at Xeim and Misty who gave each other a confused look.

As expected, Mirage was waiting for their arrival towards the central area of Peterny. She didn't look too happy with what she was seeing. Lieber and Xeim gave each other a questioned look.

"I didn't think you guys would spend this time like this," Mirage placed her hands on her waist while narrowing her eyes on both Misty and Welch. "This isn't the time for dating, you know?"

"..." Xeim and Lieber let out a huge sigh.

"Er... i'm Misty Lear, and for your information, we're not on a date." Misty replied while batting her eyes.

"And my names is Welch Vineyard, pleased to meet you! Hey Lieber, will you hurry up and come to the workshop with me already! I've got other stuff to do you know." Welch whispered to Lieber loudly enough for everyone else to hear.

Lieber was starting to get irritated, "Hey I told you! I'm not-"

Before he could continue, a loud shriek was heard coming from the north direction. Mirage, Lieber, and Xeim ran towards the direction of the screech with Misty and Welch slowly following them. The northern area of Peterny was filled with citizens surrounding a terribly wounded Aquarian runologist. Mirage quickly ran to his aid.

"Ugh... I-It's them... Just like... th-that time, they're after the... ugh OPA. Stop them, hurry...!" the runologist tried to force out the words as he coughed blood.

"Save your breath. We have to take him to a doctor!" Mirage said while looking around the area.

"N-No, leave me... hurry to Aq...uios, the Airyglyph troops are on th-their way to aid us...!... !" he tried to speak further but he couldn't go on before meeting his death.

"Aquios..." Xeim started pondering, "Could he be talking about the Alliance? And they're after an OPA?"

Mirage turned towards him to reply, "Yes... this is most likely the Alliance's doing, and the OPA is in the shrine in Aquios. Let's hurry before any more lives are lost. Lieber, Xeim... I hope you two are well prepared."

"Wait..." Misty responded looking towards Mirage who gave her a confused look. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

"But why? You do know how dangerous it is... don't you?" Mirage asked looking concerned.

Xeim, however, didn't hesitate once about Misty's well being, "She's quite the alchemist, if it's really the Alliance we're up against... she's going to come in more handy than you think Besides, we need all the help we can get."

"An alchemist? If what Xeim says is true, then we'll need your aid. Thank you." Mirage nodded.

"No need to thank me," Misty shook her head. "I'm just glad you're willing to let me help you."

"Great! Then it's settled, i'm coming along as well!" Welch squealed out as she excited clapped her hands together. The group was just exiting Peterny but Lieber was the only one who responded to Welch's reaction.

"Would you quit following me around already?" said Lieber. "Listen, we're not going out for lunch and we're not looking for any workshops either, so just stay here where it's safe."

Welch was steaming, "Oh you ass! You don't have to be so mean!" Before storming off, she gave him another hard kick on the shin this time causing him to slip and fall down.

"OW!"

------------------------

Passing through the Irisa Fields, the group reached the city of Aquios within 5 minutes. The city was dead silent. Almost no one was in sight...

Upon entering the castle, the two guards of the castle were lying dead in a pool of blood. While others considered getting an audience with the Queen first, Mirage didn't want to waste anymore time especially after seeing the death of the guards and a few other runologists in the chapel. The path to the Sealed Caverns was open and so they made their way in.

It wasn't called a sealed cavern for no reason, it was a maze and many paths were blocked by large stone blocks. They were however taken care of from the raw power of Xeim and Mirage. A soldier dressed in dark clothes wearing a small white protective headgear could be seen far away.

"Hold on, let me take care of him." Xeim rushed to slowly sneak behind the soldier before Mirage stopped him.

"Xeim. Wait!" she whispered to him loudly, "Look at his uniform..."

"That uniform... I've seen it before. I don't think he's from the Alliance." Mirage pondered

Lieber was getting irritated, "Ah who cares what he is! We just gotta kick his butt right?"

"No! I remenber now... that's a Federation soldier. Looks like they're here already." Mirage said walking towards the soldier. "Stay here, i'll take care of this."

"Who's there!" the soldier quickly pointed his rifle towards Mirage. He was shaking a bit, he tried looking towards his right ever now and then as if he was looking for someone else at the same time.

Mirage raised both her hands with a calm and collected look on her face, "You know it's rude to point a gun at a lady. I'm Mirage Koas... leader of Quark. You're a Federation soldier, right?"

The nervous-looking soldier slowly put his rifle down, "Oh, Quark. I'm Warai Koshoto, from Federation Station #8. You're here to assist us."

"I guess you could say that," Mirage replied looking behind her to see if the others were still there. She nodded towards them and they came out and followed them, "So can you tell us a little bit about what's going on?"

"Since you're here, I guess you know the Alliance is here as well. Kaddan is a mess, if you wanna help you better hurry. The Outer Alliance commander is here as well so be careful. We're doing our best to hold them back at the moment but they're a lot stronger." the Federation soldier said as he gave each one of them an odd look.

"So what are you standing all the way out here for?" Lieber asked looking a lot more serious than usual.

Warai looked down as if struggling to look for an answer to his question, "I-I... have children. I don't know what to do..."

"What? You chicken or something!" Lieber raised an eyebrow as he leaned on the wall.

"Warai..." Mirage put her hand on his shoulder. "I know you don't want to risk your life for the sake of your family, but if you don't do anything about the Alliance... then your family will be in greater trouble. Atleast by fighting, you can keep your family safe from these terrorists."

Her words seemed to help the soldier a little, but there was still some hesitation. "B-But what difference can one soldier make? And especially a wimp like me?"

"We don't have time for this." Misty said not paying attention to any of Warai's words. She simply looked towards the wide open path which looked like it led to the Shrine of Kaddan. "Let's hurry."

Mirage nodded. "Sometimes, one is enough to make a difference." Mirage left those words to the soldier before leaving along with the rest of the group.


	8. Fateful Shrine

**Chapter 8**

**Fateful Shrine**

The Cavern fell surprisingly silent. As they trudged on forward they noticed Federation soldiers' lifeless bodies lying on the ground. It looked like Warai was the only survivor, there were soldiers dressed in white jumpsuits with dragon-shaped headgears guarding the entrance to the groups path.

"Hey, you!" one of the soldiers sighted Mirage and walked towards her carefully pointing his disrupter rifle in her direction. "Are you another one of the Federation scum? Come with us!"

"Er... no!" Lieber shot back a look as if he had a bright idea. "We're with the Alliance."

Mirage kept her eyes on the Alliance cadet as she spoke, "That's not such a good id-..."

"HA! You're the Klausians with the Federation. You can't fool us!" the cadet yelled as if he had said something wise.

Xeim ran straight towards him instantly and threw himself on the soldier before he could do anything. He yelled causing about four or five other Alliance cadets along with an officer to see the commotion.

"Damn you! Hasn't the Federation had enough?" the military officer shouted furiously. He was dressed like the other Alliance cadets except he had a blue cape and a few badges on his suit.

It wasn't long before bullets were flying around the area. Parts of the walls and many pillars were vaporized instantly from the disrupter rifles' bullets. Mirage ducked to avoid the assault and she sweeped towards the nearest cadet and slid between his legs as he tried to follow her movement. She used her palms to striked both his feet as he fell backwards on to her knee before the quick and calculated Klausian dropped an elbow right on to his gut so he wouldn't retaliate. The soldier coughed blood just before Mirage snapped his neck killing him instantly. The rest of the Alliance tried to storm her down with bullets while she was still in sight but she used the cadet's dead body as a shield to block all the shots.

"Cover me," Misty who whipped out one of her orbs whispered to Lieber who was in front of her aiming at his targets. "I'm going to begin casting."

"Leave it to me!" Lieber replied forcing a charming look on his face. "Get back... Shooting Spree!" Bullets flew from his rifle prompting the enemy to keep out of its range.

Xeim threw one of the Alliance soldiers into the water disarming him and taking care of him with a little difficulty. He managed to evade Xeim's punches and gave him a hard blow on the forehead with his palm. An angered Xeim decimated the cadet as he swung his fist charged with electricity three times towards him, "Electric Fists! Take that an' that an' that!"

As the Alliance slowly found themselves wearing down, about a dozen incapacitators and auto-mechs barged into the room They were far too quick to be taken care of with hand-to-hand combat. Mirage and Xeim leaped over the auto-mechs as they unleashed aqua lasers and energy balls missing them and destroying the walls instead.

"Deep Freeze." Misty's orb levitated in the air a few feet above her hand as she raised it into the air, it was glowing bright blue and it grew brighter and brighter as a pack of ice had risen from the ground enveloping the incapacitators and the other auto-mechs freezing them instantly. "Now. Attack it."

The ice field was big enough to wrap all the enemies, Mirage leaped into the air with full force and leaped down like a shooting star foot first right in the middle of the ice field, "Aerial Assault!"

The ice along with the frozen enemies had shattered into pieces from the impact leaving no trail of them. Misty smiled and felt delighted as everyone gave her an impressed look.

"The Shrine of Kaddan is just ahead," Mirage pointed towards the large open area. "Let's hurry in."

Xeim looked the other way, "Hold on! It's not over yet. Here comes another group!"

Another group of alliance soldiers along with an officer was charging from the other direction yelling something no one could figure out.

Misty placed her cold hand on Mirage's forearm to get her attention, "Let's hurry up and get inside. I'll try and block them off at the entrance."

Xeim and Lieber ran towards Kaddan as Misty and Mirage slowly followed. The Alliance had already caught up by then.

"Stop right there!" the officer commanded as Mirage ignored him and ran towards them just outside the entrance of Kaddan.

Before any of the cadets had a chance to fire, she delivered three lightning-quick roundhouse kicks, "Triple Kick! Ya! Hya! Hwaaah!" The third kick created a blade-like force at the edge of her foot throwing the enemies far away. None of them, however, were ready to give up as Mirage escaped into the shrine after she had taken them down.

Mirage had bought Misty enough time to charge yet another spell as the Alliance gathered once more near the entrance. This time the orb was glowing bright green, "Thunder Flare." The path to the entrance was now covered with bolts of lightning that threw sparks all around it forcing the Alliance enemies to stay out of its range and thus, not allowing them to enter.

"The room of the Sacred Orb... it shouldn't be too far away." Mirage let out a breath of relief as the others tried to catch their breath slowly as well.

Finding the room of the Sacred Orb, the OPA, was a cinch for Mirage. She had known this area bit by bit. The only dead bodies lying on the ground were those of the federation soldiers. Other than that sight, the shrine was beautifully filled with narrow paths and a bright crystalized floor, as well as a few golden monuments that seemed to have some connection with Aquaria's history.

"Halt!" a lone soldier came in sight guarding the door behind one of the golden monuments, "So it's you worthless bunch that has been causing problems back in the cavern..."

"You really think you alone can stop us here?" Xeim said with an amused look on his face.

The Alliance soldier looked at him furiously, "It doesn't matter. Even if you get past here, there is no way you'll make it to the OPA in time! Haha!" he ran back into the room behind him as Mirage and the others followed.

The room ahead which was the area before the room of the Sacred Orb didn't surprise them any less. A rock-like creature appeared in sight, who looked like a golem except it was a lot smaller. The creature had metallic hands and a large crystalized ball on its abdomen, it gazed with its small but scary eyes that could strike fear straight into anyone's heart.

"Rhahaha! You're looking for the OPA, aintcha? Well guess what? It's Alliance feast time!" it growled furiously.

"The beast. It's-..." Misty looked extremely shocked.

Mirage replied, "What is it, Misty?" She didn't wait for an answer though because the golem was already charging towards them with a surprisingly quick velocity.

The creature was just as durable as he looked, none of Xeim's marital arts kicks even budged it.

"Sphere of Might!" shouted Mirage but it, again, had no effect on its rock-like structure.

Misty meanwhile threw sparks of lightning at the golem which staggered it back, making it even more angry as it growled.

"Spark Orb!" more sparks of lightning energy were released from Lieber's rifle. Although it helped keep the enemy busy, there was no effective way to hurt the creature consistently.

"Earth Graaave!" the golem growled as it jumped up into the air and landed fists first, creating a shockwave around it before large rocks had risen from the ground. Mirage barely avoided the attack and leaped behind him safely while Xeim escaped in time as well.

Mirage noticed that the golem didn't recognize that she was behind it, so she ran up towards it and delivered two kicks before giving it a straight high kick which unleashed four large fiery crescents at the edge of her feet, "Crescent Locus! Yaah!"

The crescents were so strong it lifted the enemy into the air with each passing crescent, Xeim found this oppurtunity to strike while the golem was still weak... "Uppercut!" Xeim delivered the same power uppercut with a forceful energy wrapped around his fist giving a fatal blow.

It wasn't done yet though, it got back up and brushed itself as if it didn't feel a thing. It laughed and this time raised its metallic arm.

"Let's see how you like this... Flash Raid!" beams of laser balls were unleashed from its fist all around the room as it rotated in different directions. Glasses and monuments all around the room were being destroyed from its impact. Soon, the place was a mess and there was smoke everywhere, but everyone was able to find cover while the golem was still firing its beams.

It swung its arm and cornered Lieber in the room.

"Lieber!" Mirage shouted as she looked in its direction. "Get out of the way!"

"Haha! There is no escape!" the golem grabbed Lieber with its fist and lifted it up, just when the east wall of the room exploded. Everyone including the golem turned towards the explosion to see what caused it and shockingly, it was Welch who leaped into the room not finding any time to give an explanation as everyone looked at her in shock and concern.

"Hey, you! Put him down!" Welch yelled at the creature who mocked the little girl and laughed. "Looks like you're going to learn the hard way! Why don't you grab this instead!" Welch angrily reached for something that looked like a flash grenade from her backpack and tossed it towards the golem. The golem threw Lieber into the opposite wall, and went after Welch as it charged its crystal-shaped ball on its abdomen with powerful energy. However, before it could take a step, the flash grenade exploded dropping it off its feet as it fell on the ground unhurt, it exploded again giving it a few cracks in its body. About five or so explosions later, the golem had been blown to bits as parts of it scattered around the battlefield.

Everyone looked at it in amazement as the explosions disintegrated it into pieces. Mirage and Xeim quickly ran to Lieber's aid to check if he's alright. Misty however was standing in her place and still looking like she had a lot on her mind.

"Lieber, are you alright?" Miraged kneeled down before him as she checked his pulse.

"Yeah, i'm fine. Ow! Heh, my head's a little swollen." He rubbed the back of his head to console the pain. "That was something, girl... Hey you! Welch. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Lieber, show your manners. Thanks for helping us, um Welch, I'm Mirage Koas." Mirage said as she walked towards her. "But why did you come here all the way anyway?"

Welch smiled a little nervously, "Heh heh, uh... weelll, after you left leaving me alone in town... I slowly followed you here because I knew you wouldn't let me come along even if I insisted. And here you were, all in the need of my help, so... I helped!"

"You followed us all the way?" Xeim said looking surprised. "You're a crafty one. Looks like you have more in you than you look."

"Hey!" Welch snapped at Xeim. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What was that creature?" Mirage scratched her chin as she slowly lost herself in her deep thoughts.

"Oh, that." Welch said looking the other way towards the area of the explosions. "That was one of the rare species from Greeton, a continent north of Gaitt. You guys didn't know? Regular species of Greeton are made of rocks but they really aren't supposed to be that big. This one was overgrown... it looked like it had been scientifically enhanced by the terrorists here. Hybrid bombs, mind bombs or any other type of explosive material is the only way to scatter it into pieces. What were you guys thinking by taking it down with punches and kicks!"

"Well 'scuse me, Miss Greeton." Lieber responded as he stood up, "But we're not aware of what species from Greeton even look like."

Mirage chuckled slightly, "You did come in handy, i'm surprised you know quite a lot."

Welch blushed slightly and thanked her.

"So why is it you want to come with us so badly?" Mirage asked in a more serious tone.

"Th-That can wait until l-later, can't it? The OPA is still ahead." Welch stuttered as she spoke more nervously.

"Alright then. Let's be a little more careful from now on. We're not done yet. There might be similar foes up ahead... let's just hope that the Sacred Orb is still here and safe. We can't let it fall into the wrong hands." Mirage said before heading into the door up ahead decorated with silver and golden ornaments.

"Hey, miss..." Lieber walked towards Misty who hadn't uttered a word. "What are you thinking so hard about? You know, if you think that much you're gonna end up having bad dreams!"

Misty looked down on the floor, "Dreams. That's a nice word, it blinds us to the nightmares of certainty. Thanks for cheering me up." Misty smiled as she walked towards the room ahead of her.

"Uh... no problem?" a confused Lieber scratched his head.


	9. The Wild Trump Card

**Chapter 9**

**The Wild Trump Card**

"Stop!" an Alliance soldier yelled as Mirage stepped into the entrance. "You've caused enough trouble!"

Just as Mirage was getting ready to take on the soldier, a loud, husky voice stopped her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, girl." The man was standing next to the platform beneath the OPA... it was still there. Sitting in the platform, but the large man with dark beard and a dark maroon helmet holding a large silver halberd was guarding it. Another man was standing in front of the OPA looking towards it ignoring the situation behind him.

"Are you... the commander of the Alliance?" Xeim said angrily narrowing his eyes towards the large man with the halberd.

"That's Commander Shin! It's a shame you've come all this way and now you must meet your ends here. My trump card here will be doing the favors. Heh heh." Shin laughed as he looked towards the other man standing next to the OPA.

The man turned around and to Mirage and Lieber's horror... there was no man that could have looked more familiar to them. He was wearing leather pants and a dark leather jacket. He was also equipped with gloves and gauntlets just like Mirage, and he had blonde, wavy hair... it was none other than Cliff Fittir.

"Who?" Welch tried taking a closer look at him.

"The hell?" Lieber dropped his rifle. "No way..."

"Cliff...?" Mirage rubbed her eyes and looked carefully at the man who just stood there crossing his arms looking back with no surprise. He just gave them a concentrated look as if they were his foes.

"Oh! Hahahaha! So you know each other." Shin laughed uncontrollably, "My, my! What a coincidence!"

"Why are you with the Alliance!" Mirage yelled at Cliff.

Cliff batted his eye and gave her back a sarcastic look, "Gimme a break. What will you rookies do even if you find out? I'm gonna put an end to your pathetic attempts right here!" He jumped down the platform and got into his fighting stance.

"Wait, what are you doing? Cliff, stop!" Mirage tried her best to reason with him.

"Take care of this, Cliff." Shin ordered him, "I'll leave this task to you."

The other soldiers in the area used some cubical force to blow a rear exit in the opposite wall open. Every one of the Alliance members used the exit to escape with the OPA, except for Cliff.

"Ugh!" Mirage felt the urge to follow them but she knew she had to deal with the problem ahead of her first.

Cliff laughed sarcastically, "So, Didja miss me? Heh heh, look at the expressions on all your faces."

Mirage snapped back at Cliff angrily, "Care to explain what you're trying to do?"

"Not in the least," he responded... still with the sarcastic expression. "I think i'll have a little fun with this."

"How could you do this to your friends!" Welch continued to try and reason with him but it didn't work.

Lieber picked up his rifle back up looking completely lost, "Just what the hell is going on here? What do you mean?"

"That's enough!" Xeim shot back at Cliff. "You're with the Alliance, that's all I need to know!" And he was the first one to make a move in the whole situation as he confronted Cliff. He threw a few lefts and rights which Cliff easily blocked and before he could change his pattern, Cliff didn't waste anymore time and clenched Xeim's throat with one hand and lifted him.

Mirage instantly knew Xeim was in trouble, she leaped towards her old friend and landed a kick on his arm as he shook Xeim off and threw him into the wall.

"Just like the old times, huh?" Cliff smirked as he looked towards Mirage this time. He tried to distract her before throwing a jab which Mirage was able to avoid, she ducked to evade his second punch and sweeped Cliff of his feet using her lengthy, but nimble legs. Seeing him off-guard on the ground, she leaped on top of him to trap him in his place and threw a downward jab which Cliff was barely able to stop with his strong hands, he grabbed her hand and was able to throw her off him. The fight went on as they changed into the Taijutsu fighting stance. During the fight, Mirage was shocked to see the way Cliff was fighting. Cliff had improved a lot, Mirage herself had also improved but this time she wasn't able to keep up, mainly because she was nervous fighting one of her best friends throughout the whole duel. The news of Cliff being with the Alliance also distracted her every now and then. Cliff was able to retaliate with lightning quick speed and eventually as she got more and more nervous, he read her moves like alphabets.

The others watched as the fight went on, not wanting to intefere with the duel, in due of respect. Misty, however, looked as if she was beginning to cast one of her spells as one of her orbs floated in mid-air.

After much fighting, Cliff connected a punch that hit Mirage's abdomen which sent her to the ground. "Okay, fun time over." Cliff said in a lazy tone, "It's time to finish things here and now!" He leaped into the air in a similar fashion to Mirage before diving fist first instead, "Aerial Assault!" Mirage backflipped to avoid the impact in time. Lieber and Xeim didn't feel like standing around any longer either.

"Firebolt." Misty's floating orb radiated red waves as four firebolts flew in Cliff's direction. To everyone's shock, the belts strapped around Cliff's jacket suddenly turned pale blue and a field of aura bounced the firebolts and threw them back towards Misty which hit her with a large enough impact to knock her down rendering her unconscious, "Unh... i'm s-sorry..."

Everytime Xeim tried getting near him, he got the same treatment he suffered from earlier. Cliff threw in more aerial assaults consecutively as Mirage went from corner to corner and avoided his attacks. She figured at this rate, they aren't going to get anywhere.

"Spark Orb! Hehehe, how's this!" As the orb of lightning energy that was attached to Lieber's rifle charged towards Cliff, his strapped belt again shined bright blue having no effect on him, but instead giving Lieber a big jolt of electricity before falling to the ground.

Welch was smart enough to avoid throwing explosives or bombs on him so they won't bounce back. Instead she spent her time aiding Misty, Lieber, and Xeim with bottles of potions and revitalizers.

Mirage found Cliff trying to catch his breath and didn't waste any time to charge at him with her shoulder sending him flying into the corner. "Crescent Locus!" four crescents nailed him like spikes lifting him in the air. To her surprise, he recovered in mid-air after the fourth crescent and charged with yet another move.

"Hammer of Might!" the two explosions covered nearly the whole area of the room, as everyone except Cliff was left standing conscious at the end of the heated battle.

------------------------

"Are you okay? How's that?" a cold zap ran through her arms before Mirage opened her eyes. Still in the room of the Sacred Orb inside Kaddan... she saw Welch kneeling just beside her. "Oh! Welcome back to the real world!" Welch grinned as she spread her arms out.

"W-What's going on here?" Mirage sat up straight as she put her hand on her forehead rubbing it slowly with her palm.

Xeim was standing a few meters across from where Mirage was sitting near the platform, "Looks like we were defeated once again. Welch nursed us all back, but that man... Cliff... he's a Klausian right? He got away... or more like... he spared us."

"Cliff..." suddenly it came to Mirage that it wasn't just a dream or more accurately, a nightmare. "Something's happening to him, i'm sure of it. The Alliance must be using him."

"I'm with Mirage. I've known Cliff for a long time as well... that was far too different for it to be him," Lieber announced standing behind Xeim with Misty.

Xeim looked at him in disagreement, "Well if you don't think it's him, it's probably not him. I say we should've disposed of him instead of fooling around. Next time we see him, we take him down."

Misty conceded with Xeim looking pale as usual. "I couldn't agree more. All we know right know is that he's an enemy, letting our emotions get in the path is just futile." She brushed off particles of dust from her garments.

"He's supposed to be a friend right?" Welch replied as she stood up. "Then why did he fight us? If anything, he has decieved us!"

Mirage got onto her feet abruptly, "No. There's something going on, we have to go after them and find out what it is. We can't just attack mindlessly, even if they are enemies."

"Hmph." Xeim crossed his arms as he turned the other way. "I beg to differ. This little speculation may cost us our lives, I hope you realize that."

Lieber scratched his head and looked towards Mirage hoping to convince her, "I hate to admit, but he's right captain. Maybe the Alliance are just trying to fool us, it can't be the Cliff we all know."

"I-I know, but before we take any drastic steps... we should gather more information on our enemies, don't you think? Even if we don't die, we might end up killing Cliff, you know! And Lieber, you know how long it has been since we last saw him." Mirage tried to reason but she did admit to herself in her mind that she was letting her emotions get the best of her in the situation. She turned the other way as she put on a sulking expression on her face.

"Mirage..." Welch looked towards her with sorrowful eyes.

Lieber placed a hand on Mirage's shoulder, "Yeah, I get what you're saying. And... I guess you're right, I wouldn't regret it any less if something were to happen to Cliff because of us."

"Lieber, thanks." Mirage let out a breath of relief.

"Fine." said Xeim while narrowing his eye son Lieber and Mirage. "We will try get Cliff out of the circumstances he has fallen into. But if we fail once, then we'll have no choice but to defeat him."

Mirage nodded and accepted Xeim's condition. "Since they've got what they wanted from Elicoor, I assume they've left. We're going to follow them."

"My thoughts exactly, cap'n!" Lieber replied enthusiastically as he smacked his fists together.

"Let's get back to the Diplo pronto." said Mirage throwing a glance at her two subordinates, "We'll discuss what we know and what we have to do from there. I'll contact Marietta in the meantime. Misty, Welch... what will you two do then?"

Misty, who was quiet all this time, placed one hand on her chin before responding. "I have a request, if you don't mind. It won't be simple."

"What is it?" Mirage asked curiously.

"The reason why I came with you all this way was because I knew you aren't from Elicoor. To tell the truth, this isn't where i'm from either." Misty went on while looking down at the floor.

"Yeah, I kinda figured." Lieber said strapping his rifle on his back, "The way you look and your spells, definitely don't seem to match with any of the Elicoorians."

"Oh I see! So you want to return to your home planet, right?" asked Welch with a bright look on her face as if she had said something smart.

Misty nodded slightly at Welch's statement, "Yes and no. In return of this favor, i'll help you in your task. And please don't worry, i'll hold my part of the bargain until later."

"What do you think?" Lieber asked as he turned towards Mirage expressing a _'Let's take her'_ look all over his face.

Mirage already had an answer for her though, "I don't see any reason to decline your offer then. I'm just a little concerned, since you're not from around here... you should have a little idea of what it's like outside of Elicoor. I guess what i'm trying to say is... be prepared for whatever we will come across."

"Looks like we're all set then, huh?" Welch squealed out. "And you guys will have to wait for a while at Peterny while I pack my stuff."

"Hold it there, kid!" Lieber replied amusingly. "This isn't what you think. Even we don't know what we're going up against just yet, so you'd probably be a lot safer back at home. And don't even think of trying to follow us this time cause... well... you can't."

"Hey! Who are you calling kid! You don't look any older! And didn't we already go through this once?" the young Elicoorian snapped back. "You did the same thing in Peterny, and look what happened. I came to the rescue! I promise i'll take care of myself, you won't have to worry about me."

"But Welch..." Mirage took a few steps towards her as she spoke. "Many people need you here. Who will take care of the Craftsman Guild if you just drop everything? I appreciate your concern for us, but there are a lot of people here who need you."

Welch smiled delightfully, "Oh i'll take care of that. That's something I can leave the Guildmaster to take care of. Tee hee! He'll be a little annoyed, but i'm sure he'll manage to do atleast half a good job as I do in there."

After further convincing, Mirage accepted Welch to help them in their given task and she explained the situation involving the Panglactic Federation and the Alliance terrorist organization to brief her on what she is getting herself into. Welch understood and nodded to Mirage's every word in a surprisingly serious manner.

The castle of Aquaria was secure for the time being. Magistrate Laselle was waiting for their arrival at the chapel just as they made their exit from the sealed cavern.

"Is the queen safe?" Mirage asked not in the mood of giving introductions.

"We have secured her in a safe place before the occurence of the invasion began. If you had arrived here earlier, we wouldn't have lost the precious Sacred Orb and citizens that you see laying lifeless with your eyes at the moment." Laselle replied in a strict fashion.

"If it weren't for us, who knows what more they could have done!" Xeim looked a little surprised at the lack of magistrate's gratitude.

Mirage shook her head as if to get straight to the point. "Where is the queen right now?"

"Her Majesty has been secured in Airyglyph territory away from the hazardous areas. I'm sorry, but you will have to wait another few days or so before we can grant you an audience with her Majesty." said Laselle.

"That's alright. Give her our best wishes."

The stop at Peterny was a short one, and the sun had already begun to set that day. Lieber suggested spending the night in the inn, but Mirage insisted that they have to hurry back to the Diplo and report to the Federation as well now that they are working together. After taking the south exit to the Palmira Plains, Mirage requested Marietta to transport them back up to the Diplo.


	10. A Covert Alliance

**Chapter 10**

**A Covert Alliance**

Federation Station #16 was one of the stations that was reclaimed by the famous federation hero Commodore Wittcomb who gave his life in a fight against the 4D Executioners four years ago. It had been had been heavily damaged by the Aldian Empire during the capture, but no one could tell now after the excellent repairing job that the federation station had ever been under attack by the Aldians.

A meeting between the top federation generals and officers that were in charge of dealing with the Alliance was being held in the conference room of the station. The latest actions of the Alliance on Elicoor was a devastating news to them.

"So what is going to happen with Elicoor?" asked General Reed one of the best generals in the federation who had reclaimed Federation Station #18 from the Aldian Empire.

Commander Paulin who was sitting across from General Reed replied calm and collectedly, "We can't do anything about what has already been done. The fleet we sent failed terribly in their confontration of the invasion."

"The enemy has gotten away yet again..."

"This may just be a lost cause we are fighting for here." Commander Paulin sighed.

Commander Reginald, one of the military ranking officers, was quick to give Paulin a blunt response. "Not the most ideal way of following in the footsteps of General Birmingham, no Paulin?"

Reginald and Paulin were considered rivals as being equal in rank, respect, and their fleet. However, they didn't let childish competitions bother their sophisticated manner and rankings.

A female military commander didn't hesitate to share a little concern she wanted to bring up. "Surely the name 'Alliance' doesn't indicate any relationship with the 'Terran Alliance', the former title of the Federation, does it?"

"The Terran Alliance, that's an intriguing idea." her words danced in Paulin's head for only a second. "It strikes no resemblance with the Alliance, i'm sure it is only a matter of coincidence."

"If I may, we won't be getting anywhere by following the Alliance's tracks. The black art is the key to our victory in this war." said General Vaughn, the oldest of the military officers who had a long white beard that blended well with his moustache.

General Reed replied, "Please General Vaughn, our responsibility to protect the inhabitants comes first under our treaty. While these inhabitants are constantly in danger we cannot sidetrack from our task and investigate on the black art just yet."

"Ungh!"

Despite having the rank of a General, Vaughn wasn't treated with the utmost respect ever since he left a mark that ruined his reputation as a general. It was because of him, many federation bases had been annihilated by the Executioners. Although no one could have ultimately stopped the destruction, Vaughn was held responsible for not fulfilling his responsibility as a federation general. He was a believer in logical reasoning and acts according to the situation rather than following the federation's treaty.

"Besides," Reed went on. "We could possibly not get into the Alliance base at Vendeen to access the database on black art so easily. If it was that easy, the ball would have been in our court by now."

He turned towards Commander Paulin. "Paulin, I heard the Klausian fleet, Quark, was involved in the confontration on Elicoor as well. Any news from them?"

"Yes. As I expected, they proved to much more efficient than any of the other federation fleets in the battle." Paulin claimed with some pride and hope. "I will request them look into the matters of the Outer Alliance invasion fleet that was present in Elicoor. I've received news that the commander of the Outer Alliance, Shin, is headed for Vanguard III with his fleet."

"Vanguard... just what will they attempt to do now?" another military officer pondered.

------------------------

"Captain! Lieber! Xeim! It's great to see you back! I was wondering how much longer you were going to take." Marietta jumped forward to greet them as Mirage and the others returned to the Diplo via the transporter.

"It's good to be back, thanks." Mirage said looking down to hide her expression.

Marietta, however, could tell easily that she didn't seem to be happy. "What is it captain? You don't look well at all. Oh! and who are these two? You brought some friends?"

"My name is Misty Lear." Misty turned towards Welch and gazed her eyes upon her, "This is Welch Vineyard."

Steeg who was just behind Marietta took a look at Misty and Welch as well. "Hey Lieber, what's this? Is it what i'm thinking?"

"uh... ahem Steeg, shut up." Lieber took a few steps forward to introduce both Misty and Welch and what they were on the Diplo for. Marietta and Steeg still seemed a little confused from his explanation.

"So how did you guys meet then?" Marietta asked.

"Oh. We were going on a date!" Welch clinged onto Lieber's arm with a bright smile on her face.

"Aha! I knew it." Steeg snickered.

"What? Lieber?" Marietta turned green and had an obvious jealous look on her face while narrowing her eyes on Welch.

"H-Hey! Knock it off, it's not funny!" Lieber yelled as he tried to shrug her hands off.

The situation amused everyone else including Mirage who wanted to discuss their plans for the upcoming situation quickly, "We've had enough fun now. We have a lot to discuss before we move on further."

"Aww, how boring. Boring-poke..." Welch whined as she slumped onto one of the seats on the bridge of the Diplo.

While on the bridge... Mirage, Xeim, and Lieber explained what happened on Elicoor. Hearing the news about Cliff, Marietta and Steeg were left speechless. Marietta shed a few tears after hearing what happened to him but Mirage tried to cheer them up while she herself was the one who was hurt the most. She also told them about Fayt and Albel who are fighting on behalf of the Federation along with Nel who was abducted by the Alliance. Once Steeg and Marietta had absorbed everything with quite some difficulty, Mirage wasn't finished discussing.

"That's about all there is. But now that we've discussed the events that occured on Elicoor, let's go over the things we've learned." Mirage said as she brushed her hair back with her fingers.

Xeim nodded, "I agree. A lot has happened, and we'll need to be more cautious in the future. We've encountered the Alliance twice already now... and suffered defeat both times."

"Yeah," Lieber grumbled as he chewed on some blueberries he purchased from Peterny. "And they didn't put much effort in doing it either. Just goes to show how powerful they really are. I suppose we learned the hard way."

"The power I saw in the creature from Greeton and Cliff..." Misty started as everyone's attention went to her. Rarely do words ever come from her mouth, which is probably why it's not hard for everyone to pay attention to what she says. "They both resonated a similar aura. There was something boosting their power, although I wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what it was..."

Xeim nodded with no look of surprise on his face, "I'm glad i'm not the only one who felt the same way. The same thing happened when we encountered that demon in the Sanctuary of Linga."

Mirage and Lieber admitted that they felt the same way.

"Wait, I know!" Welch stood up raising her hand as if she was a student in class who knew the answer to the question. "Maybe they're all one entity with many different forms, know what I mean? I read a book about it once in the guild and-..."

Lieber interrupted before Welch could continue, "And the way they destroyed the wall in the OPA room, too. There's something fishy about it..."

Welch sighed and slumped back in her chair with an annoyed expression planted on her face.

"The amplified power they used against us, no doubt about it... they were very similar." Mirage replied. "Could it be that the Alliance is using some technological device to enhance its combatants' potential?"

Marietta shook her head, "I wouldn't doubt it. The Alliance is notorious of using their advanced technology for their own selfish benefits. Neither the Federation nor Klaus knows how far their technological level extends. Rumors says a lot of the science behind their technology is evolved from the most complex structures of Vendeen technology and some components of creation energy."

"I'd say it's more than just a rumor," Steeg interrupted as if to correct Marietta. "Vendeen is also the home of many Alliance bases and remote stations. I suspect the organization would be packed with the Vendeeni. But if they can boost the magnitude of their power so much, like we saw in the Argyll, then their technology level must be through the roof."

Welch rolled her eyes, "Then if we know where the Alliance resides, why didn't you just invade the Wedineenee or whatever?"

Lieber felt like putting his hand over her mouth throughout the whole time, "Maybe because it's heavily guarded?"

"Yeah," Steeg nodded. "The Federation has attempted invasions before... which only resulted in utter failure. We can't hope to win against them until we find out everything we can about them."

"So no one has any idea of what their technology is derived from?" Xeim asked curiously hoping for some light to be shed in the topic.

Marietta's disappointed expression gave the answer, "No. It's like Steeg said, the most basic structures of their technology comes from a lot of Vendeen's complex developments. And the Vendeeni as we know are obviously habitually taciturn when it comes to other life forms. The term 'Black Art' is used as a colloquial way of referring to the science behind each and every one of their developments."

"Yes, the Alliance soldiers carried disrupter rifles which only the Vendeeni were ever seen equipped with." Mirage stared into space as she scratched her chin slowly lost in her thoughts. "And could this so-called 'black art' explain what has happened to Cliff? If it even is him, that is."

Steeg agreed with Mirage's suspicion. "Yes. It's a little hard to believe that about Cliff. The Alliance is probably fooling us with one of its tricks. Besides, we know that it wasn't just Cliff who was attacked by the Vendeeni, Lancar was with him as well. It'd only make much more sense that Lancar be with Cliff if he somehow survived the Vendeeni attack and was eventually taken in by the Alliance."

Mirage didn't know whether to be depressed or elated about it. If it really wasn't Cliff, then it'd be safe to assume that he was actually killed by the Vendeeni. It would make much more sense if the Alliance created a clone of Cliff via black art, or just manipulated him into complying to their every order.

Mirage shook the thoughts out of her head for the meantime, "Anyway, we know that the Alliance uses highly developed technology to enhance its most devoted and highly ranked members, battleships, and just about every aspect of it that shows just how powerful they really are. But what are they hoping to achieve by doing all this? I doubt it's simply to create fear and display how powerful they can be."

"We know that that demon was seeking energy stones from Expel, and that Commander Shin who is probably the leader of the pack succeeded in his attempt at stealing the Sacred Orb." Lieber went on as he chewed on more berries. "We don't know what they're going to use it for... so it looks like we still have a lot to learn."

Xeim remembered the face of the demon he encountered in the sanctuary again. He was certain he had seen that demon before, he suspected it could have some connection with his childhood. "The demon, he said something about reviving the 'Supreme Deity'. But that doesn't lead us to anywhere, does it?"

"Supreme Deity? Nope. Not in the least." Mirage replied looking a lot more intent suddenly after being a little depressed. "Right now all we know is that we have to follow Cliff and Shin's trail. That's our next step."

"Captain, sorry to bring this up now but I had also received news from the Federation about Quark," Marietta said delightfully. "Since we are working for the same purpose, they want Quark to merge with the Federation, only for this task. What do you say?"

Mirage shook her head. "It's a good way to bring Klaus and the Federation together, but we can't do that as of now. I'll think about it once we fully understand the situation between the Alliance and the Federation. Until then, we have no choice but to do things our way."

The discussion went on as Marietta stated that the Alliance battleship that left Elicoor was heading for the planet of Vanguard III, yet another underdeveloped planet. And that was their next destination where they hoped to find more answers... and also find Nel so Mirage can fulfill the promise she made to Clair.


	11. To Search for Answers

**Chapter 11**

**To Search for Answers**

The Diplo soared through conventional space towards Vanguard III's orbit. Meanwhile Welch and Misty were taking a tour around the Diplo before deciding to take a rest in their room which one of the Quark personnel showed them to.

"This will be your room," the Quark soldier said as he slipped the key card into the device next to the room. He then offered them the key card.

"Oh! Hey that's so cool!" Welch snatched the keycard from his hand and examined it like a child holding his favorite toy. "I'm going to have to get used to using these."

Both Welch and Misty settled their belongings into the room before Welch insisted they chat for a while.

"So what do you think of the world outside Misty? Oh wait, you've already been here... oh sigh I guess i'm the only one." Welch said as she sat on the bed on the right side of the room.

"No, I don't remember a thing about the last time I was away from Elicoor. Although i'll admit, it is a little unsettling to be back out here."

"I don't know about that, it's pretty exciting. But I wonder what Vanguard will be like..."

"You don't have a clue about it do you? I've been wondering Welch... why is it that you insisted on coming along? I'm sure you have a big reason to come all this way and drop everything at the Craftsman Guild."

"Well... I guess I can tell it to you, but honestly I haven't completely figured it out myself. But when that time I came to Kaddan and helped you guys, it was the first time I ever felt so appreciated. I never realized I could be this valuable, and it made me feel more worthy of myself. So rather than sit back at home and continue my boring job, I wanted to continue doing what I did back there. That's all."

"Sounds a little naive... but that's quite noble of you although... I don't think what you do in Peterny is any less of value."

Welch grinned. "I'm just flattered I got you to talk this much to me. Speaking of my job, alchemy has always been at the top of the invention charts because of you. I never got a chance to say it but i'm impressed by some of the alchemic inventions created by your hands. Rumors even said that your alchemy was used in Greeton's technology for enhancement purposes."

"And i'm not going to quite anytime soon either." Misty said with a confident voice. "My life revolves around alchemy."

------------------------

"Pssst. Yo, Lieber!" Steeg whispered to Lieber beside him on the bridge. Both were close brothers who never hide almost anything from each other. They work in a very similar manner and like to handle tasks together. If there is any difference between them, it's their combat capabilities. Lieber is the far better combatant due to the training he has been through for the past few years. Sometimes Marietta likes to poke fun at their attachment for each other which leaves them with a feeling of discomfort.

"What's up?" asked Lieber looking busy as he gazed upon the monitor's screen.

"How did your date go?" Steeg snickered. He figured he'd kill some time to pester Lieber.

"Didn't you hear me earlier?"

"Relax, I was kidding." Steeg looked towards Marietta as he continued to whisper to Lieber. "That's good to hear though. It probably wouldn't help if you started wandering around other women."

"Why's that?" Lieber asked curiously this time turning towards Steeg.

"Remember what I told you about Marietta? Don't tell me you forgot."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Lieber hung his head down not knowing what to say. "I don't know if I wanna ever get into something serious. You know... after all that I was put through."

"Ah, Maria... that must have sucked, didn't it? But tell me this, would you want Marietta to go through the same thing?" Steeg said as he realized what he wanted to poke fun at was slowly turning into serious matters.

Lieber was silent for a while before replying, "I don't know yet. Sorry, but that's the last thing I need to pressurize me. We have a lot of things to handle at task, right?"

"Whoa, i've never seen you get this serious before! It's good to see you follow our Two-Headed Dragon motto!"

Lieber suddenly focused all his attention to Steeg after hearing what he had to say. "Hey! We agreed on the Binary Star Lazeria!"

Steeg crossed his arms in a serious manner. "Don't tell me you forgot about our deal."

"Fine. I'll call it the Binary Star Lazeria and you call it whatever you want." Lieber grumbled as he got back onto his task showing no more interest in the discussion. "Man, you can be really stubborn sometimes."

------------------------

Meanwhile in the main Alliance Lab Facility on Vendeen, the Talwar had reached its destination as Wakou was greeted by the Vendeeni soldiers in the lab. One of the Vendeeni officers came to greet him personally as he escorted him through the lab to explain details of their work and show the progress they had been going through.

"I must say," Wakou said as his attention was focused on the spherical large container which looked to be filled with many different chemical compounds. "Your work has been efficient lately."

"I appreciate your kind words, Sir Wakou. I've always felt a close connection to my tasks ever since i was promoted to the Inner Alliance team." the Vendeeni commander said grimly.

"Tell me then, Svenh" Wakou spoke as he continued to stare at the spherical container. "How has that synchronical expirement come along?"

Svenh hung his head slightly in shame as he replied. "We've tried consistently, not only here but all four surrounding labs, but there's been no result. None of the DNA structures have matched accordingly so far in the process."

"Hmm, this may be trickier than I thought. The problem could possibly lie within the transmitter itself as well. Hmph, well it's the price we have to pay in order to use something so beneficial, right?" Wakou said as he tried to cheer up Svenh in his own odd way.

"It may be only a matter of time until we find the right one. But still... with so many different types of these beings abound in our universe, we'll eventually need to find a more efficient way of completing this task than trial-and-error, sir." Svenh spoke.

"Of course, it may ultimately not be up to us as to when and how this task will be complete."

Svenh's face had big question mark written all over it. "What does that mean?"

"Synchronology. It's a fascinating complexion." said Wakou as he looked up lost in his thoughts. "Continue the expirement. Once the analysis is complete, only then will we be taking our first step."

"Yes, sir." Svenh nodded as Wakou walked towards his companions behind him and Rudra, his subordinate.

"I want you to keep tabs on this lab until the task has been carried out." Wakou whispered to Rudra.

"Roger..."

------------------------

"Vanguard III, the third planet of the Vanguard System. An underdeveloped planet with the technological level equivalent to that of 16th century Earth. It has an axial tilt of 35.0 degrees and is 1.2 astronomical units away from its parent star. Its atmospheric composition is very close to Earth's, and it has a surface gravity of 0.72 G, giving Vanguardians 70 possession of physical strength compared to Earthlings. That would be only 30 physical strength of Klausians." Marietta informed the Quark members of the details on Vanguard before Mirage and the others were ready to be transported off the Diplo.

"Looks like we can't tell what part of Vanguard exactly the Alliance has run off to..." Xeim said as he stretched his shoulders before crossing his arms.

"We're just at the southern tip of the western continent of Rashfall. The town of Rashfall should be near our current position, which is the ideal location that can give provide us some details about the Alliance." Marietta answered. "55 of the continent is covered with forested regions and the eastern continent Gernn is covered up by 78 of forested regions."

"Thanks for the details, Marietta. Xeim, how's that shoulder?" Mirage asked as she looked towards Xeim in concern.

Xeim just shrugged it off like it wasn't anything to worry about. "I visited the sick bay on our way here. Anastasia did manage to heal most of it. I can hardly feel the pain anymore, so i'll live."

"I'm glad to hear that. Anastasia has been one of the best medics we've had in Quark."

"Where's Lieber?" Welch asked as she looked around the whole area of the upper deck.

As Mirage, Xeim, Misty, Welch, and Marietta started walking towards the transporter room, they were stopped abruptly just at the entrance of the bridge by a surprise.

"Let's all bring a performance that will amuse"

"Beginning with us we introduce"

"Quickdraw Lieber!"

"Steeg the Sharpshooter!"

"We may be far... but we're still the Binary Star"

"He may be vigorous... but i'm sagacious!"

"More like nerd, and a turd!"

"We are not just parts of a wagon, we are indeed the Two-Headed Dragon!"

"OH yeah! The Binary Star"

"..." everyone except Welch was silent as the two finished their rather interesting performance. Welch cheered and applauded while Lieber and Steeg bowed as the other female personnel behind them gathered in a group.

"So what's that all about?" Mirage asked raising one eyebrow looking a little embarrassed.

Xeim simply walked past them towards the transporter room. "No one told me we'd have a couple of jesters onboard before getting on this ship."

"Ahem Sorry about that little introduction." Lieber chuckled. "Quick-draw Lieber and Steeg the Sharpshooter at your service ma'am. We're all set to go!"

"Oh, that was marvellous!" Welch yelped excitedly. "It's gonna be so much fun with you two coming along."

A brigade of Quark soldiers gathered in front of the transporter's room ready for battle.

"We're all set to go, capt'n! Surely you don't plan on going all by yourselves again, we're all ready to give our lives in the battle against Alliance." one of the Quark soldiers said as he saluted to Mirage.

Mirage shook her head in disagreement. "We can't move around in big numbers. Otherwise, we will cause a lot of suspicions and we may violate the UP3 in doing so. Besides, we won't be fending against the Alliance unless deemed necessary... we're here to gather information on the Alliance and what they are up to. Steeg, as much as i'd enjoy the company... i'd rather you stay with Marietta this time as well."

"Yes. I've just received a request from Commander Paulin. He wants to meet us back at the remote station." Marietta said to Steeg. "Don't worry captain, we'll take care of that."

"Aww man..." Steeg and Lieber slumped not happy about the situation. "Fine."

Once Mirage, Lieber, Xeim, Misty, and Welch were ready to take off... they were transported off the Diplo and onto the continent of Rashfall. Mirage rubbed her boot into the soil. The soil was russet colored due to a large amount of hematite.

"The soil is a little damp." Mirage noted as she looked around the area she was in. There was broad daylight and as expected, it was a forested region they were on and surrounded by many pine trees. There was a small pond nearby and not one would dare to even think of taking a sip from it, the dirt contaminated the pond and many insects roamed about the water.

"Let's head north." Xeim said.

As they moved north through the area, the forest fell more and more silent. The silence brought the kind of peace that looked like it was the kind that comes before a storm. It wasn't long before they encountered the exit to the forest. A small road outside led to a large sophisticated city.

"Hey, do you think this could this be the large city that bubbly girl was telling us about?" Welch said as she stopped to take a breath of fresh air and relax.

"If there's anyone bubbly in the group, it's you." Lieber replied with a smart crack.

Xeim walked towards the city to take a closer look. "Yeah, this looks like the city of Rashfall. Let's go in."

"Be careful." Mirage said cautiously as she followed. "The Alliance could be here."

The town was lively and there were many attractions worth seeing. It was almost like Elicoor's trading town of Peterny, except for the Rashfall manor that stood just behind the sophisticated city. The different sections of the city consisted of the residential area, market area, and a separate section for all the wild attractions. Mirage was a little surprised with the city's elegance since the official database never gave any information of its nobility and wealthy localities in the urban regions. It is most likely due to the UP3 law that the Federation nor any other force ever bothered to interfere with underdeveloped planets like this.

"This place looks more fun than it was back at home!" Welch said enthusiastically.

"Let's not waste much time here..." said Misty in her usual cold and calm manner, "we'll probably find something about the recent occurings of Vanguard in the manor which could possibly lead us to the Alliance's trail."

"Hey, not a bad idea Miss Tea." Lieber remarked. "What do you say capt'n?"

Mirage nodded before passing through the attractions of the city and towards the Rashfall manor where they confontred a couple of guards at the entrance. They gave the five an odd look just like the other citizens of the city. It was natural though considering how differently they dressed and their long ears gave them a distinct feature from the group. The one distinguishable feature of the inhabitants of Vanguard were their lengthy ears that were about twice the size of humans. Some of the Vanguardians also had the blood of the Felinefolk in them from their ancestors, that would explain why many inhabitants had a tail along with many other similar features that of a female cat.

"Stop." one of the guards in small leather armor with a rusty javelin in his hand moved to the front door blocking their paths. "Who are you folks? And what business do you have with Lord Dran?"

"Lord Dran? Err... we're from the west continent of Gernn. We have a message for Lord Dran." Mirage replied nervously as she tried to cover herself up along with the others.

However, it backfired. "What! You're from Gernn?" the guard gasped as the other one stared at her in shock as well. "Guards! Seize them at once!" He shrieked as he tapped his javelin on the ground repeatedly.

"W-Wait, stop!" Other guards came rushing in as Mirage tried to retaliate but to prevent a commotion in the city she decided to give herself up. Creating problems with the city's royalty will only create more problems for them. The others did the same.

They entered the manor secured by the guards as they were led to the corner path which led downstairs to the prison cell.

"Hey! Let go! We're not criminals dammit!" Welch yelled as she gave the guards the most trouble.

"Silence!" the same guard responded. "You three will be locked here for the meantime."

The guards pushed Mirage, Welch, and Misty into the cell and tied them up with restraints.

Mirage looked around but Xeim and Lieber were not in sight, "What's the meaning of this! Looks like i'm going to have a word with the Lord about this. And where have you taken Lieber and Xeim?"

"I said SILENCE!" the guard tried to scare them with their voice but neither of them reacted to it. "As for your other two companions, they will be interrogated. Heh heh. Something better come out of them so start praying!"

As the guards left the prison cell, Welch, Mirage, and Misty didn't feel like sitting idly and letting the other two suffer from interrogation.

"Looks like we can't do anything in this position." Misty said. "I couldn't even think of using alchemy like this."

Welch was flaming furiously. "What the heck was that all about! I don't think even any of my items are going to get us out of this. Ohhhh! Those filthy, rusty guards! I'm not used to being prisoned, and now look at poor ol' me."

"It wouldn't help complaining about it." Mirage said as she sat calmy.

"Hey Mirage, how can you just sit in peace at a time like this!" Welch shot back as she tried desperately to shake off the restraints. "You're strong, aren't you? Can't you kick them open or something?"

"If only it were that easy." said Mirage as she began to wonder about their situation. "What do you suppose prompted them to do such a thing? What could Gernn have to do with this city anway?" she wondered.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to mention Gernn. Rashfall must have some kind of enmity with that continent." Misty speculated.

"Oh no! It's serious-poke mode. Can't we try to get out of here first!" Welch complained which grew on Mirage and Misty's nerves.

Before the discussion went any further, the guard returned a few minutes later with some news.

"Alright, you're all gonna come with us. Lord Dran has summoned you all. But don't get too happy now, we don't know what he has in mind." the guard spoke ruthlessly as he opened the cell for them and unlocked their restraints.


	12. Noble Kids are Always Brats

**Chapter 12**

**Noble Kids are Always Brats**

The guards led them upstairs to the throne room on the 2nd floor of the manor where Lord Dran awaited their arrival. The tall Vanguardian gentleman in white beard and long red robe stood up from his throne to examine them. Xeim and Lieber were also present who were surrounded by guards. They didn't seem to have any severe injuries from the interrogation... if it even happened.

"Are these the ones?" asked Lord Dran

"Yes, your majesty." the guard next to Mirage spoke. "They say they're from Gernn."

A young royal swordsman with long black hair standing beside Lord Dran responded, "From Gernn I see... you, the skinny one with punk hair." he set his eyes upon Lieber.

"Huh? Me?" Lieber raised his eyebrows looking back at him a little frantically.

"Yeah, you. What is the reason for your presence in Rashfall?"

"Uhh w-we wanted information on a certain terrorizing organization that has recently set its eyes upon our world." Lieber stuttered nervously.

The young swordsman and Lord Dran shot back a puzzled look at him. "What is there to know? That is for us to take care of. And are you really from Gernn? You look so odd..."

"Actually, your majesty..." Mirage said as she got their attention. "We're from a rural area on this continent far away from both Rashfall and Gernn's civilizations. We don't know of anything that is happening here so we arrived to the Rashfall's royal manor to understand the circumstances. We had to use an excuse so we had no other choice but to say that we came from the west."

"It is hard to believe such a ridiculous story." Lord Dran said as he stroked his beard slowly. "But... seeing as how strange you are dressed and how you look, I am in no position to doubt your claims. I suppose if you're not from Gernn, then we have no charge against you. So you're after the Calamity as well?"

"The Calamity?" she asked.

"Oh, forgive me. I forgot you were unaware of the situation." Lord Dran said as the young man beside him whispered something in his ear. Lord Dran nodded to his whispers and agreed to whatever request he had.

"Guards, let them go." he said as he brushed his long black hair back. "You guys come with me."

He led them to a small room just to the right of the throne. The guards at the entrance of the room were told to leave immediately.

"Why did you bring us here?" asked Xeim as the young man turned around.

"The name's Ascal Ribuel, the Savior and chosen hero of Rashfall. Heh, not to brag. Anyway, so ya guys said you're after a terrorist group, huh? Well since yer not very sharp on some things, let me be so kind as to enlighten on what's going on 'ere."

"Go on." Mirage said as she crossed her arms.

"Okay uhh... where do I start? You guys heard of the historian Neel and the tale of the Shadow Light?" he asked as he looked at the confused look on every one of their faces.

"Hey, this is no time for storytelling." Welch said shaking her fists.

Ascal sighed and shook his head. "Guess i'll just have to tell ya'll. Well, Professor Neel was a famous historian who studied the patterns between the world an' the legendary tale of the Shadow Light. Can't say if it's a true story or just some kinda urban legend but the Shadow Light was a tale about some guy releasing himself from the deepest darkness. Anyway, during his research he theorized that the legendary tale was a parallel reality to our world, basically the events of the tale were to declare our forecoming future. Of course, no one believed him at the time and he only got mocked and ridiculed in return. So he made five prophecies of our future's set path which became known as the five yogens and seeing the first prophecy, he only got more shebazzled by the citizens. The yogens were all written in his notes at different dates but they were scattered around the world shortly after his death. The first yogen was the only one people knew of, and so it turns out... that it came to be true. Seeing this, our ancestors searched for the scriptures with the yogens written by Neel that were scattered throughout the world and we found the four scriptures that contained the yogens and engraved the writings onto four stone pillars."

"That's all quite interesting, young man." Misty said. "But why are you telling us all this?"

"I'm not done yet." Ascal shook his head. "The terrorist group you're talking about is the Calamity which is supposed to bring destruction upon our lands according to the third yogen. We don't know where they come from, but they look very odd like you... just a little different. I suspected you were with them at first, so I requested the guards to release you because it was obvious you guys weren't from Gernn."

_'The Calamity... that must be it! The Alliance!'_ Mirage thought to herself as she listened closely to his words.

"Well, the fourth and what we thought as the last yogen stated that a hero will be chosen on the particular day in the most noble land and inherit the power of Jindou to rid of the Calamity once and forever. That is the task i've been given since birth. Since the third yogen has come true, it is now time to fulfill the fourth yogen. However, this Calamity looks like some strange conglomerate... so i'd be willing to take your help in this task. You guys are after them too, right? Why don't we do this together?"

"Whoa... did any of you guys get THAT?" Lieber asked looking towards his companions.

"Um Sir Ascal?" Mirage hesitated about his offer. "I'm not sure either of us understand everything you've said, but the important thing is that we're after the... uh Calamity. Do you know where they are or what they really want from us?"

"Can't say..." Ascal said in a more serious tone. He was just as curious. "It could be the Jindou."

"Jindou? You're just confusing us more and more, you know." Welch scratched her head and repeated the word over and over as if she had heard of it before.

Ascal let out a huge sigh again. "Not this too, i'll explain later. Okay, anyway those guys are sprawning all over the western continent of Gernn, but i've heard they have a base that exists on this continent as well. If you let me come along, I could show you the way. In return, I want ya'll to tell me everything you know about this and help me fulfill the yogen, alright?"

"It's a deal then." Mirage agreed after some thinking. Xeim and Lieber didn't look like they were completely sure of her decision though.

"Alrighty, then. I guess i'll just meet you in front of Rashfall's entrance, we'll meet up there whenever you're ready to go." he said as he turned around to finish their discussion.

"Why meet at the entrance?" Xeim asked suspiciously.

"You guys are forgetting something. You're probably not prisoners anymore, but ya still haven't gained the full trust of Lord Dran, my old man yet. He wouldn't agree to our request, so we're gonna keep this confidential, no problems with that right?"

Mirage and the others left the manor afterwards and decided to spend some time around the city before waiting at the entrance.

"I don't know, capt'n." Lieber said looking towards his superior. "This Ascal guy doesn't look so trustworthy."

Xeim nodded, "For once, I agree with Lieber. For all we know, he could be there just to keep a keen eye on us. And we are obvious suspects in the eyes of Lord Dran so that doesn't help us either."

"I know." Mirage said as she looked around town calmly. "But does that really matter? As long as he's going to lead us to the Alliance's base on this continent, we can't let anything else worry us."

"Besides, without him we could end up as prisoners again if we're not too careful." said Misty bringing up a valid point in everyone's eyes.

"Anyway, let's just wait at the entrance. I don't feel like sticking around here any longer in this place." Welch said looking worn out.

The others agreed to her suggestion without any second thoughts. Ascal however, was already waiting for them at the entrance just outside of Rashfall City.

"Took you long enough."

"How'd you get here so quickly?" asked Lieber.

"That doesn't really matter now. Alright, now that we're all set to go, we're gonna head north through the Village of Qual, then after we pass through we gotta go through the mountain pass before we can start looking for the Alliance base." he said as others waited for him to continue further.

Lieber looked just as tired as Welch. "Man, it's been a long way. Let's just rest somewhere on the way."

"Looks like this will take a while." Xeim said.

"Not to worry." Mirage replied as they started heading north. "Sir Ascal..."

"Just calling me 'Ascal's fine." he spoke in slightly cocky voice. "Although, I don't mind 'Sir Ascal' either. Heh."

"Okay. Ascal it is then." Mirage nodded. "But there's-"

"Watch it!" Ascal yelled as he threw himself on Mirage throwing her off guard as she fell onto the damp soil.

Mirage stood up furiously but before she could say anything she noticed clouds of green smoke just pass through in front of her. The source of it was a large turtle-like creature with a huge dark shell which was emitting a type of poisonous gas.

"What the heck is this thing?" Ascal unsheathed his sabre and didn't waste anymore time thinking.

Before the horned turtle could make another move... Mirage, Xeim, and Ascal were already charging towards it ready to take it down with force. However, even after taking many numerous hits... the horned turtle wasn't backing down even a bit.

"You'll never see this one comin'... Aerial Slash!" Ascal leaped up in the air and swung his blade vertically aiming for its head but he hit the hard shell having no effect on it at all.

"Crescent Locus! Hyaa!" yelled Mirage as she tried repeatedly to take down her foe.

The horned turtle began to stomp on the ground making everyone lose their balance and fall on the ground.

"Wait!" Welch yelled as the others kept trying to fight it off. "This creature is very similar to the ones found just outside of Peterny. I'm sure of it! These creatures are susceptible to hot fiery attacks. So you know what to do Misty."

"No, this one looks a lot tougher." Lieber objected.

Misty nodded trusting Welch's advice. The floating orb turned red as she began to enchant a spell. "Firebolt." Balls of fire were released from the orb and slammed onto the turtle's head. The turtle grew angrier and began charging towards Misty with its horns out in front.

However, Ascal didn't let it get past him and to everyone's surprise, the edge of his sword was lit up in flames as he held the sword straight above his head pointing towards the sky. "Try this for a change... Rising Dragon!" He thrust his sword like a spear upwards as the fiery blade struck its horns leaving a fatal mark.

It was working. The horned foe grew weaker and weaker but it was far too big to be taken down so quickly.

Lieber simply shrugged. "Er... nevermind."

Before Ascal could strike it once again with his sabre, Mirage dragged her feet along the rock-like surface of its shell igniting her boots with flames in an instant. "Avenger Charge!" She threw left and right kicks striking its head as it lay weak and helpless on the ground. Each kick ignited with flames burnt its skin and left a scar on its body as she kept landing sweeps and roundhouse kicks. She finished it off by placing one foot on top of its large horned head and unleashed a full flaming somersault taking it down and leading to its demise.

"Hey, not bad. Looks like you've had more battle experience than me." Ascal smirked as he walked towards Mirage.

"Ahem It is I who should be getting the credit once again!" Welch yelled shaking her fists.

Lieber gave her a small pat on the shoulder. "Getting appreciation is a long process, don't worry."

"Hmph." Welch crossed her arms. "It's no surprise you'd know something like that."

"Haha, yeah it's-... Hey! Wait! What's that supposed to mean?"

Mirage didn't seem the least bit tired after unleashing her series of kicks. "That was one of my favorite moves I learned from my father. It is a little different from the generic Klau- uh... anyway, th-that doesn't really matter now. Haha" she laughed nervously.

"Well, let's hope we don't have to deal with another one of those on our way." Xeim said as he clenched his fist in pain.

"Ascal..." Misty said. "How did your sword... can you use symbology?"

"Oh yeah. 'Bout that... You guys don't know about Jindou, right?" asked Ascal looking at all five of them.

Mirage, Misty, Xeim, and Lieber shrugged.

Ascal cleared his throat before he started talking again. "Okay, so I told you about the five yogens already. Jindou is a type of energy that is released by all aspects of the nature. In essence, it's the matter that enhances our world in many ways, but ain't necessarily vital to us in anyway. The people of Gernn consider it to be a curse which holds nothing but tremendous power. This is all according to the five yogens anyway. The Principle of Jindou is the first yogen established by Professor Neel. There was a second type of Jindou discovered recently, we call 'em Fenrir crystals. It lets the wielder control elements of nature in many ways and imbue them onto many things. This thing here... is the one that was passed down to me by my old man."

He unsheathed his sword again detaching a small crystal-like structure shaped like a cylinder. It had a yellowish tint to it and had a glittering exterior. The item looked like a valuable gem, it emitted a strange light. Mirage figured it'd come at handy in night times as well.

"So this is a... Fenrir crystal." Mirage held the small piece in her hand as she rubbed it with her fingers. The surface was a little rocky.

"I guess this Professor Neel guy must have been something, huh?" said Lieber.

"Yup. Although he was kind of a kook in a way."

"I thought you said there were four yogens in total. Why five now?" asked Xeim curiously still laying a suspicious eye on Ascal.

"Oh right. There were supposedly only four yogens. But recently a fifth yogen was found and like I said, they were scattered around the world. So... can't say how many yogens there really are indefinitely. My task was given to fulfill the fourth yogen as the Savior to prevent the Calamity. But the fifth yogen condemned the people of Gernn and said that they would somehow prevent me from fulfilling my task. So, everyone in Rashfall has had a bad vibe with Gernn ever since the fifth yogen was discovered. That continent's already poor as it is, so I wonder what kind of trouble those guys could bring at all. Still... the royal Requiem Code is a strong believer in the yogens, which is why you were sent to prison immediately. Just don't make that mistake again... Gernn can only mean trouble on this continent."

"Well THAT pretty much explains what was happening back there." Mirage said as she cued everyone to keep walking through the vast plains of Rashfall.

"I'm not sure if the power of Jindou is enough to take down the Calamity." Lieber advised Ascal.

Welch shook her head and just ran ahead of everyone else. "Hey, my head's starting to hurt. Let's just hurry while there's still daylight."

As it began to grew dark, a small village came in sight just ahead of them. It was the Village of Qual. Qual was the closest farming village to the royal city of Rashfall. Many Qual residents would take trips to Rashfall to export goods for the market which allowed Qual to achieve a good level of prosperity. The elder chief of the village was rumored to have some relation with the royal Requiem Code in Rashfall and he was also a holder of the rare Fenrir crystals like Ascal.

"Let's pass by the place on our way." Ascal suggested and headed towards Qual without looking back.


	13. Qual's Icy Nightmare

**Chapter 13**

**Qual's Icy Nightmare**

The farms of the village were nothing short of large which reached out through a vast amount of acres. Ascal noted that Qual had been a lot more peaceful than usual this time. In fact, almost too peaceful...

"Who are you people? You dress so oddly." a young Vanguardian child who seemed to be the only child in the area was a little frightened by their presence.

An elderly woman who looked to be supervising the child scolded him. "Hush, Henry. Don't be rude!"

Her attention turned towards the group. "Oh. It's the Savior! Sir Ascal, thank you for visiting us once again. What brings you and your people here?"

Ascal smiled as he pulled back the strands of hair that fell over his headband. "Naw. You know this is like my home, Farina. Oh, and these guys are gonna be with me for a while. Don't have time for introductions though, we were just gonna pass through. So what's up with this place? It looks so... down-in-the-dumps."

"Er... It's n-nothing to worry about." Farina responded looking very gloomy.

Ascal insisted in finding out the truth. "Farina. What is it?"

"Speak to the elder chief, he'll explain everything. But it wouldn't suit us to waste your time, Sir Ascal."

The other areas were filled with huts and many farms in the outskirts of the village, the crops were healthy and most of the farmers' life was spent mostly on vegetation. One of the larger wooden houses was decorated with bright green ornaments and it was a little farther away from the other cluster of huts where the villagers resided. The elder chief resided in a wooden house in the center of the village. Mirage knocked on the wooden door as the others followed behind her closely.

"sigh Come on in." a sulky voice was heard.

They made their way through the door. The interior of the house wasn't nearly as decorated as its exterior. The village chief had small brown handlebar moustache with the same lengthy ears which all Vanguardians have. He paced around the house looking upset before setting his eyes upon Mirage, Xeim, Lieber, Welch, and Misty.

"Ah, Savior Ascal. Sorry for the empty welcome. I was given news just a few minutes ago that travellers had come to our village, I assume that must be the ones with you." he spoke as he took a seat in his rusty chair.

"Yes, that's us." Mirage said with a small pause in between. "Sorry for the disturbance, but could you tell us what has happened in this village?"

"I suppose I can share my trouble with you, Sir Ascal is the only one who can help us after all." the elder chief cleared his throat. "To those strangers who don't know me, I'm Chief Uzul. As you know, Sir Ascal, the history of Qual has always been remembered throughout generations for serving Rashfall. Thus, all the villagers including myself had nothing more important to us than the children, the future of Qual. They were even more important than our farms and vegetation. But recently one morning they were nowhere to be found. We've looked all over the village but i'm afraid something terrible must have happened to them."

"So did they just run off or something?" Ascal asked calmly.

Chief Uzul was clueless. "I don't know. Only one of them returned safely to Qual... he mentioned a stranger leading the others to Pagos Cavern. That place can get quite dangerous now and then and that is certainly no place for farmers like us to be lurking around. We are not built to be warriors, it would help immensely if you would could give us a hand, Savior."

"What do you guys say?" Ascal looked towards the group for confirmation.

Mirage looked back curiously. "Do you think the stranger could possibly be..."

"The Calamity, right? I seriously hope not." Ascal replied.

"We better go check it out ourselves." Lieber was ready to go just when the others agreed to Uzul's request.

The Pagos Cavern was just west of the outskirts of the village hidden behind a few trees of a tiny forest. Upon entering the cavern, Mirage set her eyes upon the frozen walls on each side of the cave and some areas of the ground were covered in ice as well. The frozen walls consisted of sharp crystal-like structures and large icicles were embedded on the ceiling of the cavern. Ascal explained that the mass of ice was created using the power of Fenrir crystals with Jindou to prevent the cavern from collapsing during an incident. Mirage was advising everyone in the group to stay cautious for the whole duration.

"If it is the Alliance, then we'll have no choice but to fight them off. Just be careful now and don't let your guard down." Mirage kept walking without looking back at them concentrating on what was ahead of her. "Exercise spirit and mentality... so take deep breaths and-..."

Lieber's yawn interrupted and annoyed Mirage. "Whoops, sorry. Heh, didn't hear a word you said capt'n. I just want to get past this cold and shivering place. Brrrr!"

"Oh no, I think it was more like you found it boring." Welch exclaimed.

"Hey, I don't know whether it was boring or not... but if we had the time, I would make you all exercise physically as well so consider yourself lucky!" Mirage said before storming ahead deeper into the caverns.

Ascal stopped to throw a chuckle. "Man, she must be the only non-lazy person out of this bunch huh? Guess we better get moving quick. But I must admit, she did get pretty stiff. Fhaha!"

"Fhaha?" everyone gave him an odd and creepy look.

"What? Got a problem with the way I laugh?" Ascal shrugged.

"Well, thank goodness atleast I didn't suffer from a slap on the head." Lieber said with relief.

Mirage kept walking straight trying not to let the others' laziness bother them. A lurky shadow with the same figure of a Vanguardian descended from above just a few feet across from her. He was dressed in torn clothes and large dirty boots as he wielded his dagger to stop her.

"Who the hell are you!" he asked rudely.

Mirage was reluctant to give a dignifying response. "And what if I asked you the same?"

"Don't be a wise ass. You don't look like those weak pests from Qual. So tell me who you are! Or i'll do you in right here." he pointed his dagger in Mirage's direction with a smirk on his scarred face.

"You know... it's rude to point a knife at a lady." Mirage said repeating something that was becoming a catchphrase to her. "Let me guess. You're the ones who abducted the children of Qual."

"And what if I did?"

Just then, Ascal and the others caught up with Mirage and saw the funny looking bandit with the dagger. Mirage informed them about him and his deeds.

"Alright, filthy rat." Ascal unsheathed his sword. "Spill it. Where'd you hide them?"

"Can't we settle this without spilling any blood? Look, I did this for a reason." said the filthy bandit. "Tell your village elder to bring me the Fenrir crystal... only then will I return these kids safely in your hands. Got it?"

"You're not going to get away with this!" Ascal yelled back at him.

"What's that with your sword? You have a Fenrir crystal as well. Ohhh, I see. You must be the stupid Savior. Hahaha this is perfect! Listen, just hand me over that one you have there and it will do. It'll save you the trip of going back to the village. Convenient, huh?"

"Killing you is more convenient for me!" Ascal thrust his sword in the direction of the bandit which he was just barely able to dodge.

He stood up and brushed himself off as he started walking away deeper into the cave. "Tsk. It's a shame. You should have sticked with the deal."

A white wolf sneaked out behind the bandit glaring at everyone in front of it with its red beady eyes. It charged towards its opponents in an attempt to knock over atleast one of them.

"Flaming Missile!" Lieber shouted as each bullet left a trail of fire in its path before connecting with the wolf-like creature. It howled with pain as the flames began to burn its skin.

The wolf began moving in a zig-zag path to confuse its enemies which caused almost everyone to miss its target. The icy creature however made its biggest mistake once it was cornered by two large icicles.

Xeim found his chance to rush in and attack while the wolf was left defenseless. "Eagle Smack!" He leaped into the air and dived straight towards the wolf delivering a strong headbutt knocking it over its feet.

After the quick and easy fall of the swift wolf, everyone ran after the bandit deeper into the cave. They reached a dead end in the cave... and there they were, the children. They all seemed to recognize Ascal and were delighted he came. Although the bandit was still there, he wasn't willing to fight.

"How'd you guys get past Shimmy!" he said in a frightened voice.

"We're gonna go back to Qual! Thanks so much, Sir Ascal!" the children chimed in before scurrying off. "Hey let's play tag on our way back."

"H-Hey wait!" shouted the bandit.

Mirage walked towards the cunning bandit as he slowly backed to the wall feeling the cold chill in his spin. "What did you intend to use the Fenrir crystal for?" After not getting a response, she grabbed him by his collar and lifted him a few feet in the air with his back against the wall.

"Keep him there." Ascal told her. "Alright now, my sneaky pal. Tell us everything."

"Alright, alright!" he replied with an even more frightened tone. "I'll tell you all I can! I-I needed the Fenrir crystal for a bunch of odd-looking people that look just like you guys. I'm from Gernn, and these guys are sprawning all over the place looking for Fenrir crystals. I told them I got get a hold of one in Qual and they said they'd make me rich if I could bring one to them."

"So they WERE behind it." Misty said.

Xeim nodded. "No doubt about it. Tell us, why is it you brought the kids here then?"

"I n-needed a way to get the elder chief to hand over the Fenrir crystal. cough That's why."

"Hmph. Filthy thiefs have only filthy intentions." Ascal said grimly. "Looks like the kids have left safely. So what do you suppose we do with him now?"

Mirage freed him from her clutches dropping him to the ground. "Leave him. Let's hurry towards their north base before they drag others into another mess like this."

After leaving the Pagos Cavern, the group headed back to Qual immediately to make sure everything was well. By the time they reached the village, it was already nightfall. Chief Uzul asked them to meet him so he could get a chance to thank them personally for saving their children.

"It's good to hear you've returned safely. I don't know how to show my appreciation towards all of you, but why don't you spend the night here? It's getting dark, you wouldn't want to leave the village at this time." Chief Uzul asked affectionately.

"Yes. That would be nice." said Mirage.

"Chief Uzul," Misty called out to get his attention. "Is it true you have a Fenrir crystal?"

"That is true. Just like the Savior, I hold a Fenrir crystal as well. Although we are just farmers, it was handed over to use by the royal Requiem Code for the protection of Qual." he replied as he reached for an identical Fenrir crystal that Ascal was carrying.

Misty narrowed her eyes onto the Fenrir crystal. "Why is it you didn't to protect your children then?"

"I-... I've never used it. I couldn't." he replied nervously as if he didn't understand what he himself was saying.

"But why?"

He continued to look at the crystal in his hand nervously. "Fenrir crystals... they are a new form of Jindou used for nothing but destruction. Ever since the Fenrir war, these crystals have become more common than you think. I lost my wife during the war twenty years ago. I couldn't bare to see another destruction being ensued by the power of Jindou."

"The Fenrir war... the war which resulted just after discovering the last yogen which stated that Gernn would supposedly be responsible for inflicting a curse upon the world. Many fought over it, and Gernn was almost put into ruins during the war. That's why you'll see that continent in nothing but in poor shape." Ascal informed every other member of his group.

"Right." confirmed Chief Uzul after hearing Ascal's words. "That's why i've restricted myself from using the power of Fenrir crystals ever since the death of my wife. I'm certain she'd want the same."

"You can't expect to protect any one of Qual if you restrict yourself from such things. You have the Fenrir crystal for a reason." Xeim said.

"Yeah. Some elder chief you are. How can you allow the people to suffer from the hands of those thieves?" Welch replied as she shook her small glove-rod which she constantly kept in her hands.

"sigh Yes. After what happened today, i've realized how foolish I was. To bind myself from using Jindou could mean more suffering like how our children did a while ago." Chief Uzul said looking convinced.

Ascal grinned slyly. "That's great. Hopefully you guys will be able to take care of your problems now. Man... i'm exhausted. Let's call it a day, shall we?"

"Yeah. It's been a long day." Mirage said batting her eyes. "You go on ahead. I want to discuss some things with everyone."

"Suit yourselves. Just don't oversleep." Ascal said as he walked out.

------------------------

Mirage, Misty, Lieber, and Xeim were just outside their rooms discussing while Welch and Ascal had already gone to their respective rooms for the night.

"The Alliance, they shouldn't be too far off now." Xeim said.

Misty felt a little uneasy, she looked like she wanted to say something. "I've been thinking about the Black Art recently. I felt there was something familiar in the immense power we sensed in the battles we've fought against them."

"What is it, Misty?" asked Mirage.

"I didn't realize it until now... but the belts strapped around Cliff that bounced back everyone of our attacks was undergoing alchemic reactions everytime we would attack him." she replied.

"So what does that mean?" Lieber turned to her curiously.

Misty shook her head. "I can't say for certain, but their technology is based on parts of alchemic laws... that's for sure."

"Just a little longer hopefully, and then we'll find out everything." Mirage sighed as she looked down at her feet. "Then we won't have to meddle into Vanguard's matters anymore."

Lieber looked a little puzzled at Mirage. "Hey capt'n. Do you think we should let Ascal know about the Alliance. I mean we didn't go by the UP3 law before taking Welch along with us."

"We can't. Ascal is a descendent of a royal family and the Savior, which means he is probably amonth the most famous Vanguardians. He's probably their only hope to help them from the Calamity everyone strongly believes in."

"The Alliance base is just up north now. It won't be long before we confront them once again." Xeim said as he walked towards his room. "Let's hope we get some more answers out of them."

Mirage nodded as she watched Xeim take his leave. "I hope Marietta and Steeg are alright as well..."


	14. Worth That Cannot be Measured

**Chapter 14**

**Worth That Cannot be Measured**

Marietta sipped her coffee as she read the reports Commander Paulin had offered her. "It looks like it just might work. So how long will it be before you will be carrying out this plan?"

Commander Paulin smiled in relief to see there being some hope for them in this war. "Once we get a hold of the Outer Alliance, it will be a cinch."

Steeg pushed his specs back in with his finger in a sophisticated manner, "Breeching through the Vendeeni Wall is no easy task but not impossible. Still, getting past their defensive shields won't be enough. We're going to need to find an efficient way to infiltrate the main labs on there to get a hold of what we need."

"Yes, the black art is the main one. And don't worry about the main labs, I have thought about that as well. Let's just hope we can dismay the Alliance with our fleets." replied Paulin.

Marietta looked ecstatic. "I can't wait to tell this to the captain!"

------------------------

Gernn was one unfortunate locality which suffered from the loss of many innocent lives from time to time. First, it was the fifth yogen which condemned them in the eyes of Rashfall. Then, it was the Alliance who had overthrown most areas of the continent with their local bases. And now, the torture continued as the Outer Alliance members had just burnt down the village of Whipple for their reluctance to cooperate with the Alliance's demands. Only a few survivors were left in the village who were left starving and homeless.

Rodrigue, the demon from Daemonium, who was responsible for the incident reported back to Shin just outside Whipple.

"These pests have been taken care of. They were annoying as hell!" he said to Shin.

"We're all heading back to the main base now, so let's get going." Shin said in a hurry as he almost walked past Rodrigue. "We don't have any time to lose."

Rodrigue looked a little uptight as he raised his eyebrow. "You could give out a 'congratulations' or 'good job' once in a while. Feels good when I get that for shedding blood of these humans."

Ignoring his words, Shin walked past the demon trying to catch up with the rest of his squad along with Cliff who were already onto their way to South Gernn.

"Heh, he's no different." Rodrigue thought to himself out loudly while grinning.

------------------------

The next morning Mirage, Ascal, Xeim, Lieber, Misty, and Welch began passing the mountain trial up north of the Village of Qual. Ascal said the mountain pass was the borderline of this continent.

"So are you sure of this northern base? How did you find out about it?" asked Misty as she walked up the path along with the others.

"There are a few residents of Rashfall who live on the borders of these mountain trials." Ascal replied. "I'm guessing they're the ones who notified the Requiem Code of the Calamity moving closer in to us."

Ascal had a little suspicion of his own on the group. He felt the need to bring it up as they headed towards the other end of the Rashfall mountain path. "So where are you guys really from? And why are you after the Calamity?" he asked curiously.

Mirage was hesitating to reply. "W-We're still not completely sure about-"

Unable to finish what she was saying, she was interrupted by a voice very familiar to her. "Looks like you guys made it all the way here. And to think, after all that I had put you through... quite surprising ain't it?"

It was Cliff. Just ahead of them at the end of the mountain path, he stood tall and stiff while crossing his arms smirking at the rest of them not surprised to see them in the least. Suddenly, Mirage got the same feeling she did back at the Shrine of Kaddan.

"Uh oh, looks like we got trouble." Xeim whispered without keeping his eyes off Cliff.

Mirage stepped forward as she looked deep into the eyes of her foe. "Tell me, who are you? And what is the Alliance up to?"

"Who am I! Mirage, you're breaking my heart!" Cliff replied sarcastically as usual. "Honestly, I did kind of expect you all to follow us all this way but I was sent here to prevent you from interfering from our tasks. Don't worry, I wasn't given any orders to kill you, just to buy us enough time."

"Enough time for what? What the hell are you guys talking about?" Ascal said as he whipped out his sword. "So you're the ones who just popped from the sky, huh? I am going to vanquish you right here in the name of the Requiem Code and fulfill the yogen of the Shadow Light!"

Cliff simply shook his index finger in his own fashion. "Not gonna happen. I don't have time for idle chit-chat so it's either you guys head back or i'll finish you right here."

"Not if I can help it!" Ascal set as he charged towards Cliff in a mindless fashion.

"Ascal! Wait!" Mirage shouted, but it was of no use.

Cliff was just standing there gathering energy withs massive particles of forces surrounding him. His fist was enveloped with a large white energy ball as he draw it back and unleashed a thrust releasing enermous ball of energy. "I'll crush you! Max Shockwaaave!"

Before anyone could make a move, they were all caught by the impact and before she knew it, Mirage found herself on the ground once again as everyone lay helpless unable to get back up from that one devastating blow.

"Good job Cliff, you've really impressed me with your work lately." Shin came down to congratulate Cliff on his work. "Let's head to our main base to the western continent, our job here's done. No need to stick around our nose with these weaklings now."

"Ungh!" Ascal tried to get back up but was unable to.

------------------------

Mirage opened her eyes and looked around just as everyone was started to recover from the blow. Cliff and Shin were nowhere around. Mirage couldn't help but feel that they had failed yet again. They had reached the end of the mountail trail by now but the enemy had already fled.

"Think it was a trap?" Lieber asked as he rubbed his forehead with his palm trying to cover his bruise.

Xeim on the other hand who was bleeding intensely was getting treatment by herbal medicines from Welch. "Possibly. Dammit! They got away... yet again!"

"I think it's more like they spared us." Welch replied in a sulky voice.

Mirage was whispering to herself out loudly, "How far we've come... we can't lose hope now, can we?"

"Everytime we face defeat, I can't help but feel the Federation guys are right. This Alliance is impossible to deal with." Lieber looked towards Mirage who looked like she was lost in her own thoughts.

"If that really was the case, then why did we bother coming all this way? We weren't just going to investigate on what was going on, were we? I couldn't just sit back while all the friends i've had the past four years would give away their lives in this fight, I have to stand up and do something!" she replied.

Welch stood up vigorously as her heart started streaming with some energy. "I want to be somewhere where I can make a difference but most importantly, I want to be where i'm needed."

"Things have been kinda bugging me for the past few years." said Lieber as he inspected his phase gun as if it were some broken toy. "Somehow I feel there's still unfinished business out here for me, so i'm still gonna do whatever it takes."

"Me? I'm still holding my part of the deal, I see no reason to walk out of it." Misty shook her head confidently.

Xeim was still staring at his arm this whole time gazing at the swollen wound he had just suffered. "I guess everyone's got their reasons to keep going. I got mine too."

"We all have something we want to fight for, right? Then we're not going to stop." said Mirage in her usual 'mentor-talking-to-pupil' tone.

Ascal seemed to be a little frustrated which would explain his silence.

"And the Alliance?" Lieber asked.

"We're going to need to lay out a plan to deal with them instead of rushing straight into them from the front like we've done so far." advised Mirage.

"The only bases that are left now are in the continent of Gernn, I believe." Ascal mumbled as he picked up his sabre from the ground.

Mirage nodded once she had gotten back on to her feet. "Then let's get going. We're not letting anything hold us back this time!"


	15. Greenery of the East

**Chapter 15**

**Greenery of the East**

Mirage often wondered what business the Alliance had in Vanguard. It wasn't just some ordinary invasion like the kind in Expel and Elicoor. Mirage had never seen the so-called Alliance bases but they seemed to take up a lot of room on Vanguard. There were still strings of hope inside of Mirage and although up until now, they were unsuccessful in any of their attempts... Mirage refused to let it get into her head.

As a tough and trained Klausian, everytime she felt tense in an situation she would chant the words _'Omoi dou serei seikou!'_ which she learned from her father. Dan was a big fan of his chants during his times at the dojo which Mirage shortly inherited, he claimed that the words were a way to control your mind, body, and spirit and were key to successfully live through the toughest moments.

"How can we get to Gernn?" asked Xeim while sitting on the edge of the rocky path.

"What's the point?" Ascal replied as if he was ignoring Xeim. "I'm a hopeless Savior. What is it that I have for the Requiem Code to choose me as the Savior? It's all just shebazzled."

Mirage tried to comfort him to her best of abilities, "Everyone's hope rests on your shoulders right? Well you won't win if you don't bother to try."

"Mirage, so those guys were called the Alliance right? I take it neither of you are from this world then. Heh, no surprise there." Ascal said getting back up slowly.

"I guess there really is no use covering it up now." Lieber mentioned.

"You know... the reason I brought you guys along with me was because I wasn't confident in myself as the Savior. So I guess I kinda used you in a way... Sorry about that." Ascal said with an apologetic face.

"Why didn't you just have the Rashfall royal guards accompany you then instead?" asked Misty.

Ascal shook his head before giving a reply, "They were far incapable and they didn't even have any experience in using the Fenrir crystals. Besides, I doubt my old man would have allowed that."

"Hey cheer up already! We both had our reasons for tracking down the Alliance together, right? So let's just get a move on already." Welch said frantically.

Ascal chuckled slightly. "Alright, let's head back to Rashfall for now. We can take the boat from the Rashfall port over there and head over to Gernn. And i'll also need to stop by the manor for a while."

Rashfall was probably the only prosperous city on the continent. Mirage often had a suspicion that the Royal Code of Requiem was not something that had been passed down through many generations but rather something that was recently established. It was most likely found just after the discovery of the first yogen. The port of Rashfall was just behind the manor near the dock. It was almost empty, which was hardly surprising considering the tensions between the two major nations. The ferryman, however, wouldn't let anyone on to the ferry just yet.

"Sir Ascal. I'm sorry but the ferry will not be leaving for Gernn. By Lord Dran's orders, i'm not permitted to transport any citizens to Gernn at this time. If you like, I could pleasurably take you anywhere else. The Northern Shore perhaps?"

Ascal didn't look at all pleased with the ferryman. "Look'it here. How 'bout if I get my old man to make us an exception this one time?"

"Er.. that will do." replied the ferryman with a doubtful look on his face.

"Alright, i'm gonna head off to the manor for a while. What'll you guys be doing 'til then? If you want you can come along with me." Ascal said as he looked towards the rest of the group.

Mirage nodded slightly. "Not much we can do until then."

"I think i'll take a stroll around the city." Misty said as she started to walk off slowly.

"Just be sure to meet us back at the port." Mirage said.

Ascal, Mirage, and Lieber headed on towards the manor of the Requiem Code. The guards gave him a welcoming gesture, and upon entering the throne room Ascal kneeled down before Lord Dran. Mirage and Lieber did the same.

Lord Dran was sitting in his throne across from Ascal. The Chancellor was also present at this point as well as a few royal guards dressed in silver cuirasses. The Requiem Order's emblem was engraved on both arms of the armor. The royal scene of the manor reminded her a lot of the time she spent in Castle Aquaria during the Vendeeni attack. These situations were quite memorable for her since Trena never really had anything to offer in terms of sightseeing even though Klaus was just as prosperous as any other developed planet.

"Ascal. Any results today? And why did you bring these outsiders again?" Lord Dran asked in a cold fashion.

Ascal cleared his throat as if he was ready to give a formal speech. "Your Majesty, just now I faced the wrath of the Calamity which has brought its misfortune to our world."

"The Calamity?" the Chancellor interrupted looking shocked. "They have reached this far already?"

"Yes, we shall act quickly or else Rashfall will suffer many losses!" Ascal replied in a surprisingly majestic manner. He was obviously putting up a sophisticated act hiding his laid back attitude in front of the Lord.

Lord Dran kept his calm while still hearing the details. "What happened then? If you didn't finish them off, where have they run off to now?"

"They have fled to the continent of Gernn, your Majesty. I request you allow me to take the ferry to Gernn so I shall track down these obscene filth!" said Ascal.

"You still haven't told me why these outsiders are with you..."

"I would like to take them along with me." Ascal requested nervously.

The Chancellor stepped forward looking appalled. "These odd people? But why?"

"They happen to know more about the Calamity. Bringing them along would prove to be useful."

"This is absurd! Why not take the royal guards along with you instead?" the Chancellor questioned as he widened his eyes.

"Heh, that will not be necessary." Ascal smiled ever so slightly. "I am the Savior after all! Besides, we will need as many royal guards present at the manor to defend ourselves from any invasion. It takes priority over all other things."

"And what do you know about them?" asked Lord Dran looking towards Mirage.

"The enemy has spread throughout the nation of Gernn. It won't be long before this city falls in danger as well if we keep letting them hide from our sight. I hope you can trust us." Mirage said as she kept her kneeling position.

"Very well, then." Lord Drain said. "As long as it will help us vanquish the Calamity, then I accept. I will have one of my guards talk to the ferryman... in the meantime, why don't you get some rest?"

"Thank you, your Majesty. I appreciate your concern, but we will shall head for Port Wzinbun right away."

------------------------

Sections of the town were a lot more lively than others. The residential area of Rashfall for one was rather unusually quiet. Misty strolled through the town while pondering a little about her situation along with Quark. She noticed a deep wound on her right forearm just that instant.

"How didn't I feel that?" Misty asked herself while looking at the bruise.

She decided to patch it up using alchemy. A white alchemist stone levitated in the air as she started a spell by chanting a few words, "Healing!"

Misty did not notice but one of the small children on the other of the street noticed her casting a spell. He ran towards Misty in excitement, "Hey, lady! That was cool! Can you do it again?"

Misty was confused and didn't know what to say, "I-I have no need to use it again."

"Can I see that cool shiny stone? I promise i'll give it back." the small chubby boy asked.

"No, I couldn't do that..." Misty said calmly as she began to walk away.

However, his requests started turning into insists. "Hey come one! Pleease? I can't wait to show it to Glenn and Sally when they come over!"

"I said NO! It's not a toy!" Misty yelled abruptly. She then covered her mouth as if her actions were unintentional.

The youngster getting a big scare by her impulsive act ran out of sight in tears.

"sigh..." Misty frowned. "Looks like he was right. I need to practice on my composure."

------------------------

Mirage stepped out of the manor to take a stroll around the town a little. Vanguard had a tendency to get very humid at times. Rashfall was possibly the only city in Vanguard that didn't have any farms. It was a much more prosperous planet than Mirage had initially thought. It still, however, had years to go before reaching the level of a planet as developed as Elicoor. As Mirage strolled past the pub, she noticed Xeim taking off.

"What happened in there? You're right cheek is bruised!" Mirage said as she noticed the wound on Xeim's cheeks as he came out looking exhausted.

Xeim was caught by surprise and started hesitating before giving a reply, "W-Well I... just took care of a few guys in there who tried to act wise."

Mirage shook her head in disappointment, "It seems you still aren't able to control your anger at bitter times... sigh I wonder if you'll be showing any progress with your mind and spirit training at all."

"The lessons you gave me in the last few days did seem to help a bit... although I can't say for sure whether I understood all of it or not." Xeim said while scratching his head.

"Oh, those were principles of Qigong... a way of freely manipulating the spiritual energy that flows through your body through physical training. I'm sure they'll come in handy, so keep at it with those." Mirage advised.

"Oh, right. I suppose i'll start with going through the mantras." Xeim said.

"Good idea. Mantras are important not only to improve the rhythm of your body, but to bring peace to your mind and spirit."

"Hmm... this will come handy if I fall into the same situation again in a pub. Qigong..." Xeim wandered off trying to concentrate on the terms.

Mirage simply stood there lost in her thoughts as she saw Xeim head off to the central area of the town, "Xeim... he's after more than what he claims..."

------------------------

Meanwhile, at the armory shop Lieber was waiting for Ascal to finish his deal with the shop owner.

"Man, this one's a beauty!" Ascal exclaimed looking down at the brandished, silver sabre lying on the counter in front of him.

"That one is commonly known as the Sinclair. It is popular among many foreign warriors who come and go. We buy it from them for such high prices, it's rare you'll find something like this the next time you come." said the shopkeeper in a rather strange fashion.

"I'll take it!" Ascal grabbed the sabre and handed a stash of Fol to the owner who thanked him in return.

"Hey Ascal, would you hurry up? Everyone must be waiting for us at the dock by now!" Lieber said impatiently as he stood in the corner of the shop leaning against the wall.

Ascal was too obsessed with his newly bought weapon, "I can't wait to show this to Kuleha... she loves seein' things like this."

"Right..." Lieber yawned. "You ready to go now?"

"Oh that's right! I haven't told ya about Kuleha, have I?" Ascal's eye lit up with enthusiasm. It was strange how his lengthy ears also lit up in a similar way. "She's the most wonderful person you'll ever meet, one of the closest friends i've had! Those eyes will make you cry your heart out!"

"Yeah, about the others..." Lieber used his hand to gesture that he was trying to speak.

"Yes, the others don't know about her either! I can't wait to introduce her to all of them...! Just think when..." Ascal blabbered on.

Lieber slouched in his position and hung his head from helplessness, "Oh man..."

------------------------

Once the ferry was ready to leave, everyone met at the dock once more and climbed onto the boat.

"Hey ferryboy, can ya take us to Gernn now?" asked Ascal.

"Alright then. We're going to head to Port Wzinbun from here. From there on, you're on your own. Just return and tell me when you want to return to Rashfall. There aren't any ferries going back to Rashfall similarly, so i'll just be staying at Wzinbun until then." said the ferryman without looking back.

The ferry ride was going to take longer than Mirage thought, it was almost nighttime once again once they were half way through their journey to Wzinbun. Mirage was concerned for Marietta and Steeg which led her to start pondering more about the Alliance and Vanguard.

"So Ascal... have you ever wondered why you were chosen as the Savior? I mean... of all people, why you?" Mirage asked curiously.

"Eh, I never thought about it much. I guess i've gotten used to getting so much attention over it that I never wondered how life would be without being a Savior." Ascal replied as he gazed up at the stars.

"So what's this royal Requiem Code really about? Is it somehow related with the yogens?" questioned Lieber.

Ascal moaned as if he was too lazy to give explanations, but he was able to brush it off. "Like I said, yogens are prophecies based on the legendary tale. The royal Requiem Code was created in order to ensure these prophecies would indefinitely be fulfilled. These yogens have been carved into stone pillars that are found between the two major continents and have been there for a couple hundred years now. There's been rumors flowing that a special type of Jindou there prevents anyone from reaching anywhere near that area. It's said to be sacred or somewhere along those lines."

"So you are part of the Requiem Code too, right?" Mirage asked as she leaned on the rail of the ferry.

Ascal nodded. "Yeah, though I can't say i'm too thrilled. My family never really felt like the family everyone else has. I guess that's the bad side of being a Savior, huh?"

"Yeah..." Lieber muttered. "Only a little bit further and we're going to have to face Cliff one more time."

Mirage was too much in confusion to be depressed after seeing Cliff. They had always expressed their deepest feelings to each other and shared problems like they were friends... or more like siblings. She refused to believe that Cliff was acting intentionally. _'Maybe it was this hope that kept me from regretting my actions everytime I tried to act against him'_ she often thought to herself. Maybe, she was right.

"Where are all the other chaps?" Ascal asked.

"I think they've rested for the night." Mirage responded. "We might as well do the same."

"Yeah, my back is starting to ache..."

There seemed to be some commotion present outside once they had reached Port Wzinbun of Gernn early in the morning. Everyone had gathered outside to see many citizens gathered around the ferry. There were a lot more felinefolk among the citizens in Gernn than in Rashfall. And others that were present among the inhabitant of Gernn that wasn't in Rashfall were the light-weighted featherfolk.

"What's going on here?" Xeim asked as he stretched his arms.

"I guess they're all surprised to see a ferry from Rashfall here." the ferryman replied. "Everyone! Make way!"

As they started scattering around a little more to make way, the citizens of Wzinbun began gossiping and asking questions curiously as Mirage and co. made their way through the crowd.

"A ferry from Rashfall?" said one of the people.

"What could they want from us now?"

"What else do you think they'll do? They've obviously not tortured us enough!"

They started walking away from the crowd as they noticed the tension in all of the people present on the dock.

"Man, these guys really gotta cool off. Anyway, let's not stick around here any longer." Ascal whispered to the rest of the group.

"Yeah, we've wasted enough time. We have got to look for the Alliance, i'm sure they have quite a few bases here." Xeim replied as he trudged forward ahead of the rest of the group.

As they left the port out of everyone's sight, the inhabitants all layed their eyes upon the ferryman.

"I-I'm not one of themm..." he stuttered nervously. "I'll just be staying here for a while."


	16. The Markswoman

**Chapter 16**

**The Markswoman**

Port Wzinbun had a residential area of its own. The port itself however was perceptibly inferior to the one in Rashfall. Nevertheless, so far it seemed like the population in Gernn was a lot more dense. Mirage, Lieber, Ascal, and the others met yet another forestry region just as they exited Wzinbun. This one was a lot less tropical than the ones they had encountered in Rashfall.

"Gernn used to be civilized and all like Rashfall." Ascal mentioned

"Before the fifth yogen was declared, right?" asked Xeim.

Ascal nodded as he kept walking forward. "It was the people of Gernn who oppressed Professor Neel when he stated the prophecies which our ancestors in Rashfall found scattered in many regions of this continent. I guess that's another reason why our enmity with Gernn still exists. Some say that the fifth yogen is the punishment Gernn is getting for their acts of oppression."

Welch scratched her head in confusion. "Hey Ascal... you say these yoguns or whatever were found by your ancestors, right? But why were they even scattered around in the first place?"

"Hey, that's a really slick question coming from you!" Ascal chuckled. "I really don't know. If I were to guess, it's probably related to his death."

"Prophecies... seems like a waste of time." Lieber whined slightly. "I just can't wait until all this is over."

"Don't tell me you're missing home already, Lieber." Mirage said surprisingly.

Lieber shook his head. "Hey, i'm only worried about Marietta and the others."

"No... I think you're just missing home!" Welch exclaimed amusingly.

Mirage got an eerie feeling as they walked deeper into the forest into a region known as the Pessoto Forest. The forest itself was rather peaceful, Mirage could hear the sounds of the leaves rustling from the wind. But a sharp piercing cry shattered the peace within the forest while Mirage felt as if her eardrums were about to burst. It went on far too long for it to be coming from a normal being. She covered her ears and looked around as the others did the same.

"The hell's that noise!" Ascal shouted but the noise drowned his words.

The shriek ended abruptly as a demon with long silver hair teleported into their sight. He smiled ravishingly but he had a troubled look on his face at the same time. Mirage noticed a deep scar that ran across his left cheek. Just then it came to her that it was the same scar she had given to the demon in the Sanctuary of Linga with her right foot.

"It's you again! You're that demon." Mirage pointed out.

The demon managed to force a smile on his face. "Well, it's good to see you pawns again. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier as I was in a hurry. My name is Rodrigue."

"So you've met this one before?" Misty asked calmly.

Xeim nodded slowly. "You can't fool us again, you're with the Alliance! Get out of our way now before we're compelled to make you!"

"Easy, settle down. We wouldn't want to make another mistake again, would we now, Hakhim?" Rodrigue narrowed his eyes on Xeim who tried to look away. "So I assume that little sharp-eyed girl ran away and had you come instead."

"Girl? The heck are you on about?" Ascal said while wielding his sabre in his right hand.

"Are you looking for me?" out came a young middle-aged girl wearing a small feather hat behind one of the large oak trees as she siderolled directly in Rodrigue's vision. She aimed at his right thigh and fired two rapid bullets from her handgun with lightning quick speed.

Rodrigue lost his balance and fell down on his knee. "Agh!" He held his thigh from pain. "Dammit, you just won't give up will you!"

"Who are you calling little? Please give a more appropriate introduction next time." she taunted. It was a young, blue-haired girl, about five and a half feet tall wielding a handgun which looked familiar to Mirage. She was the strong-willed, tough-minded, charitable, preceding leader of Quark.

"Maria! What a surprise!" Mirage was astonished as she put both her hands on her cheeks in disbelief.

"W-Wow..." Lieber had the same reaction.

Maria looked back over her shoulder trying not to turn her back towards Rodrigue. "It's good to see you guys again. But let's hold this reunion for just a few minutes, shall we? We seem to have quite a problem here ahead of us."

"Then you're gonna give us a hand, right?" asked Ascal.

Rodrigue had gotten up by the time everyone was finished talking, "My, my, what a sweet little reunion. Stop it! You're bringing a tear to my eye. Pfff! Hahaha! So we've got a fully party this time, eh? This should be fun!" he jeered back.

"Are you done now then?" asked Maria. "Take this! Pulse Blast!" Four laser shots were executed at the slight push of Maria's finger as she held her handgun tightly.

Before any of the bullets could reach in physical contact with Rodrigue he vanished in thin air and teleported behind everyone. "You're still naive, kids! Looks like i'm going to have to teach you the hard way once again," he laughed as he lashed his sword into the ground and created as a pool of blood began to surround his demonic blade. "Sword of Darkness!" A bloody demon was summoned from Rodrigue's chant as it lashed its attacks all over the forest.

Before the summon could harm anyone on the field, Misty had made sure everyone stayed safe with her spells, "Bless us with divine powers! Angel Feather!" Mirage felt a boost of vitality within her and felt as if a shield covered in light was protecting her just like everyone else. Everytime the monster showered in blood would try and slash her, it would bounce right back. The grass had been fried and the almost every tree was damaged in the forest from Rodrigue's summoning spell. Blood started spewing from his mouth once his spell ended and appeared to be a little weak.

"Now, let's attack him!" Maria yelled. As she gave it another two shots this time on the tempo which Rodrigue was barely able to block it with his sword.

"Sparks of lightning in my sword, break the barriers and dance! Radiant Discharge!" Ascal's slashed his sword horizontally in a full 360 motion twice generating sparks of lightning on his sword before discharging them onto Rodrigue. Unable to move, Rodrigue was paralyzed from the electric blow he suffered.

Seeing his condition, Mirage nodded towards Xeim. They both rushed towards the pale demon who was immobilized at this point and delivered a hard blow with a shoulder charge from both sides sandwiching the ferocious villain, "Hyaaagh!"

"Ooofff..." the demon fell onto his knees once again this time clutching his chest trying to gasp for air and recover at the same time. "I w-won't forget this..." Rodrigue muttered before vanishing into thin air once again via teleport.

"Ahh, the hell? How can he just disappear like that!" Ascal complained as he leaned against a tree to catch his breath.

"That's one of the demon's notable features..." Maria answered.

Once things had settled down. Maria and Mirage decided to stick around in Pessoto Forest for the meantime after exchanging a few words during their reunion including a warm hug.

"Hey, where's mine?" Lieber whined looking depressed.

Ascal jumped towards Lieber to give him a hug instead. "Aww, i'll give you your hug!"

"Mmmf-!" Lieber tried to speak but his words were unfortunately obstructed by the Ascal's embrace.

Mirage looked towards Maria not being able to think of anything else. "You don't know how great it is to see you again. You have grown a lot since I last saw you! What have you been eating?"

"W-What do you mean? I haven't gained weight, have I?" Maria inspected her figure nervously.

"I don't think she meant that... you just seem to have grown... er naturally!" Lieber exclaimed trying to be careful with his choice of words.

"Well it's good to see you again. I'm Welch Vineyard if you don't rememer me! Hiiii!" Welch jumped in front of Maria and shook her hand.

"Xeim Juran here." Xeim nodded as he started to raise his hand.

"Man, how dense. He thinks he's in a classroom again." Lieber raised an eyebrow looking towards Xeim sarcastically. Xeim, as usual, was not interested in replying to his colleague's wise crack.

"I'm Misty Lear." Misty took a few steps forward as she was usually the tail of the group. "Nice to meet you, Maria..."

"Ahem And I don't think I need to give any introductions, am I right!" Ascal proclaimed, to which no one responded. "Er... right, call me Ascal."

Maria smiled as she looked at each of them. "It's nice to meet you all. You've got quite a crew here." She slowly turned towards Lieber who looked a little nervous throughout the whole situation. "It's good to see you too Lieber."

"Yeah. Hi." Lieber replied. There seemed to be some sort of aloofness between the two.

Mirage glanced over Maria's head and spotted a small feathered cap which seemed somewhat odd to her. "Hey Maria, what's with the funny-looking cap?"

Maria was still the same attractive blue-haired girl, but the only thing different about her this time was her attire and of course, the small feather hat. She was wearing a light blue sleeveless vest which draped over her white tanktop, along with her favorite pair of black tights and a black miniskirt which went along with the tights and her footwear. Her maroon feather cup which sat on her blue hair was probably the most notable feature about her.

"Oh... uh... you mean this?" Maria asked as if she was trying to dodge the subject.

"Yeah, it looks like it's a little big for you too." Welch answered.

"Uh... w-well... I just found it when I was grubble! on my way here."

"Grubble...? What was that?" everyone looked at her in confusion.

Maria turned beet red just then, "Oh, it's nothing! grub!" she exclaimed.

"?...Right."

"Must be her tummy..." Xeim noted.

"Anyway, so Maria... can you tell us a little about on what's going on? And what brings you out here especially? I thought you were in Edifice." Mirage asked as the curiosity killed her.

Maria sighed, "I'm guessing you guys know about the attack on Edifice since you've come all the way here in pursuit of the Alliance. I had found out from the Pangalactic Federation just when I left Edifice to investigate on the invasion and that's when I had learned about the Alliance. A few days later, I found out Quark had been reformed so my next step was obvious. I tried to follow your paths just when I was informed by General Reed that you've left for Vanguard III."

"And that's when you arrived here, right?" Mirage asked.

"Yes," Maria nodded. "I hope you guys weren't planning on going grubble without me." she said as she brushed her hair back.

"Okay, i'm not sure I really get what you guys are smoking, but we're after the Calamity right now on our way to fulfill the yogen, right? That's all I need to know." Ascal said as if he wanted to cut to the chase.

"That's right. grub grub" Maria nodded. "You must be the Savior then, right? I've already gathered all the information I needed on this planet from my research before arriving. gobbleUnfortunately I was unable to get anything much on the Alliance."

"I see. Then I guess you haven't heard about Cliff yet..." Lieber sulked as he spoke.

Maria turned towards Lieber in a slightly confused fashion. "Cliff? Is he with you too?"

Mirage and Lieber did their best to explain whatever they knew about the Alliance and Cliff to which Maria was clueless about. Maria put one hand on her forehead to express her state of shock and grief at the same time.

"I see. My... this is horrific. Whatever has happened to Cliff? This matter has gone to a more personal level now... do you know where they are headed for?" she asked with a gloomy expression.

"We suspect they have planted many bases on this continent. I'm sure Commander Shin and Cliff must still be here. We overheard them talking about still having some business to deal with on this planet." Mirage informed.

"Yes. Commander Shin. He is the captain and commander of the Outer Alliance team, grubble! if you guys didn't know yet." Maria nodded in confirmation.

"Wait, Outer Alliance?" Lieber questioned. "Don't tell me there is more of the Alliance!"

Maria rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, I hope you didn't expect it to be that easy! GRIB! What I learned on the Federation vessel on my way here was that the Alliance has been formed in many divisions. These divisions include the Outer Alliance and the Inner Alliance... i'm not quite sure if there are any more branches but each seem to play a much more significant role than the other in their tasks. The one here on Vanguard is the Outer Alliance team."

"Well that certainly complicates this matter, doesn't it?" Xeim said as he crossed his arms.

"That demon, who called himself Rodrigue... i'm guessing he is working under Shin's command as well. I ran into him just after spotting one of the Alliance's platforms." Maria went on.

"And Cliff...?" Mirage asked.

"I'm guessing him as well..." Maria answered with a simple nod.

"So you mentioned that you know where one of the Alliance's bases are, right?" Misty asked quietly. "Then we have our answer. We are bound to find more answers over there."

All agreed with Misty's concerns. "Let's get going then. We're gonna to hafta pass through the village west from here to get out of Pesotto Forest. I think it's called Whipple." Ascal spoke as they moved through the forest passing the fallen trees and the narrow path.

The village of Whipple was just in the northeasterern exit of Pesotto forest. The village, to everyone's surprise, had almost all been burnt down to ashes. Some of the flames were still lit up, the smoke covered most of the area. Just when Mirage heard a few coughing noises, she realized there were still a few survivors. She made her way past the clouds of smoke and followed the noises where she found a couple of children sitting in the corner of the fence cuddling each other shivering with fear.

"Are-Are you one of them? Please s-s-spare us...!" the boy mentioned.

The other one of the two whom was a young girl echoed the boy's words, "Don't do anything to us! Leave me and my brother alone!" she screamed as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"It's okay..." Mirage said as she kneeled down on one knee in front of them. "We're not going to hurt you. What are your names?"

"I-I'm Niklas... and this is my little sister Meena." the elder boy said as he slowly stood up on his feet. "So if you're not with that devilish monster, who are you people?"

Maria took a quick glance around the village. The houses and shops had all be torn apart. "So it was Rodrigue... Um, Niklas is it? Do you know if there are any others left in Whipple gribble?"

"We were the only ones left hiding in the corner of the village!" Meena exclaimed. "The others had already run away to the ruins north of the forest."

"I guess someone should inform them about this place then. Man, this place is in shambles." Lieber said as he kneeled down to pick up a small chunk of ash.

"It looks like the villagers have quite a job in their hands now. Niklas. Meena. Thanks... And don't worry about the Calamity, we're going to take care of it ourselves and make sure no one gets harmed here again." Mirage said confidently as she gave them her word.

"Thank you, miss." Meena replied as she wiped her tears. "You're a nice lady. You're just like that boy who came here a few years ago, and you look a lot like him too. He has the same funny ears."

"Yes, although I can't remember his name you are just like he was." Niklas added.

Mirage smiled back delightfully, "Well, whoever he was... i'm sure he was a very nice person for helping you out."

"Good luck in whatever you are after!" Niklas waved towards Mirage and the others as they passed through the south exit which was concealed by a few thorned bushes. "We hope you stop by again, everything will be back to the way it was by the time you will be back!"

After they gave their farewells to both Niklas and Meena, they followed the path further out of Whipple and they had finally reached the exit of Pessoto Forest. The only thing ahead of them were vast plains that stretched out only a few kilometres before more woods came back into sight again.

"Man, those kids sure seemed harmless." Ascal said in an amazed fashion.

"Harmless? grubble grubble What do you mean by that? Those kids are people that are oppressed by both the Calamity and Rashfall's Requiem Code." Maria asked as they walked further.

"I mean the yogens claimed these guys to be a threat. It just seems all hazy now." Ascal replied while looking a little mortified.

"I'm still worried about Cliff right now," Mirage sighed. "But... I cannot let him make me so weak-minded again."

"Well i'm just glad that i've found you guys again." Maria smiled. "If we could somehow get Cliff to snap out of whatever spell they put him under, we'll be back together like family again. grib"

"That's good and all, but could you please stop it with the noise!" Welch complained. "These little sounds are getting annoying. If you're having tummy problems, then maybe we should take you to a doctor first." She looked as if she was ready to tear her hair out.

"Well! Excuse me grub, but it looks like you're going to have to deal with it." Maria snapped back as the wind flapped the feather on her hat.

"So any ideas where the Alliance could be located from here?" Xeim asked.

Ascal seemed to be lost in his own thoughts at the moment. "I hope you guys don't mind... but i'm going to have to request we stop somewhere. There is a small laboratory that is located just south of here, near the woods. It's Professor's Neel lab, over a hundred years old now... but it's still been kept in its best shape ever since."

"What could you possibly want to stop there for? I thought Professor Neel wasn't alive anymore." Xeim retorted.

"Nope," Ascal shook his head. "Ricardo... Neel's great grandson, now resides there continuing his ancestors' research. He's a wise man... the last time I visited Gernn was to supervise all the work bein' carried out here by the Requiem Code. I met Ricardo during the trip. I asked him to look over one of the Fenrir crystals. Maybe we can find more about the yogens... and hopefully about the Calamity as well."


	17. Tracing Paths

**Chapter 17**

**Tracing Paths**

All the Outer Alliance bases that were present on the planet of Vanguard III were well concealed from anyone's sight. They had mostly spread in regions of Gernn where their headquarters was also located. The main base, unlike the others, was divided into three parts which were known as sectors, each depicting an equal part of the dome-shaped structure.

Cliff at this moment was present at the same base which was being supervised by Commander Shin. He stepped into the commander's room in the third sector where Shin was eagerly waiting for his arrival.

Shin gave his subordinate a grim look before speaking. "You wanted to see me, Cliff?"

"Yeah..." Cliff answered quietly after clearing his throat. "About the village of Whipple... the heck was that all about?"

"Heh. Just showing them that we meant business... that'll surely give a mark to anyone who tries to act wise with us again." Shin said as he turned to face Cliff. "But that doesn't concern you. Rodrigue has already taken care of that."

Cliff shook his head in disappointment, "That doesn't matter! Our job's neither to burn down any villages nor take lives unnecessarily."

"Are you still such a softie? What's the matter with you...? Don't tell me you're missing your little friends... or should I say, your former friends? Hahahahah!"

"..." Cliff shut his eyes from annoyance without uttering another word.

"Anyway, what was all that commotion in the Northern Base i've been hearing about lately?" Shin asked with a serious expression.

"I haven't gathered all the details yet, and I probably won't until I get a hold of him..." Cliff replied.

"Yeah, I haven't heard from Rodrigue in the past few days either... think he's still alive? Nah... i'm sure he won't go down that easy." said Shin as he slowly scratched the back of his bald head.

"He's ducked out." said Cliff calmly.

"What?"

"There was supposedly a young blue-haired chick who was involved in a rough incident with Rodrigue near the base. Guess Rodrigue couldn't keep up and has vanished since then..." Cliff shrugged hinting that he was only speculating.

"Well, it's not like we needed him any longer here," said Shin with relief. "We'll just have to watch out for Quark again."

"Leave that to me." Cliff smacked his fists with a sly grin on his face.

------------------------

No one hesitated before agreeing to Ascal's request to make a stop at Neel's Research Laboratory. They made their way towards the lab located near the Southern Woods just a few kilometres across from Pessoto Forest.

"Savior Ascal! What brings you here again?" a lady dressed in a scientist's attire came to greet them at the entrance to the lab. From outside, it looked more like a museum.

"Well, hello there Marsha. Is Ricardo anywhere 'round at the moment?" Ascal asked quickly.

Marsha nodded, "Why yes... he's downstairs in the lab right now. I'm sure it's not going to cause him any trouble for you and your friends to visit him at this moment."

Ricardo looked a lot older than Mirage had expected. He had frizzled hair with white streaks, and his face consisted of many wrinkles with his smart and nerdy-looking glasses that shifted up and down everytime he spoke. One intriguing characteristic about this man was that he belonged to the featherfolk who were descended from birds. His wings were light blue and they stuck out from the corner of his lab coat.

"So what brings you here today then, Ascal?" Ricardo asked as he stared at a container filled with a liquid substance on his desk. The lab was filled with many test tubes placed in all corners of the room. He had many assistants present at the lab who looked as if they were working on an investigation of their own. Like Ricardo, at least half of them also belonged to the featherfolk race.

"Professor Ricardo, I think you know about the Calamity's invasion on Gernn, right? Have you seen any of them around?" asked Ascal.

"Oh yes. I've managed to spot a few of them lurking in the area around here. Luckily, this place was concealed well enough by the woods for us not to be spotted. They have bases planted on many areas of Gernn." he said as he pushed back his glasses.

"grawk! Why would they would have so many here? I wonder... grib maybe they're more than just bases." Maria wondered as she looked towards others for an answer.

"Don't mind those noises... I think she's sick or something." Ascal replied quickly referring to the funny noises coming from Maria.

"Of course, this is only conjection, although still substantial..." said Professor Ricardo while sitting down back on his chair in front of his desk. "But these facilities you refer to as bases all seem to have one thing in common."

"What is it?" asked Mirage curiously.

"According to our research lab's recent investigation, we have discovered that Gernn's soil is a lot more natural than Rashfall." Ricardo responded as he looked at everyone's puzzled expressions. "In other words, the soil here has a much higher concentration of Jindou energy than the ones in Rashfall."

Welch scratched her head in confusion, "Jindou energy?"

"You forget? Jindou comes from the first yogen declared over a hundred years ago... it's a type of energy that is emitted from any natural resource." Ascal said as he turned towards the Professor. "But Ricardo... if there really is a lot more of that stuff over here, what would that mean?"

"Don't you understand? Almost all of the Calamity's invasions have occured in Gernn. Jindou is not just a form of energy, but when enough is gathered around... they have potential to form the all-powerful Fenrir crystals." Ricardo spoke in a scientific attitude.

"Isn't that the same thing you have on your sword, Ascal?" Mirage asked to which he nodded.

Ricardo went on, "Our investigation also included the regions of Gernn with soil that contain the most concentrated Jindou, and those regions are exactly where the Calamity's bases are now!"

"Hmm... I see. This is all starting to make a little more sense now." Mirage said as she put one finger on her lip. "So those bases are rather facilities that are draining the soil of its energy in order to form Fenrir crystals."

"Now that I think of it... Rashfall did have a shortage of Fenrir crystals. That's why the Requiem Code often had to dig them all out from Gernn." Ascal stated. "Man who would have thought they were this clever?"

"They are the Calamity, but they're here for a reason. The wouldn't just assault the people of Gernn for no apparent reason." Ricardo replied with a sarcastic expression.

"So all this is what has been stated in the tale known as 'Shadow Light'?" Xeim asked doubtfully.

"That's correct. I've been carrying out the research that was left incomplete by my great grandfather." he replied. "Gowen, can you bring the second grade soil?" Ricardo said towards one of his assistants in the lab.

"Right away, professor." Gowen went in the back to bring back a cylindrical tube contained with dark brown soil which looked to be a little damp. "This is it."

"Thank you. This is the soil that's is generally found in Gernn... it is _highly_ concentrated. Normally, if the soil is very dilute with Jindou energy, you would find humus and disintegrated rocks along with a much higher concentration of hematite inside the soil's layer. However, it is a totally different matter when you find a higher concentration of Jindou enough to extract it. You will notice that Gernn's soil is a lot less red in color than Rashfall due to the low concentration of hematite in the soil. This is because the soil consists mostly of Jindou instead. Of course, Jindou is generally almost everywhere being released by all aspects of nature, but only underneath the ground do they gather enough to be extracted for it to be of any use. But even then, it's a long process for it to be transformed fully into a Fenrir crystal."

"Yeah, I had heard somethin' similar in the legendary tale. So you know what's the connection between this world and the history of Shadow Light then?" asked Ascal.

"What I can tell is that it's more than just a fairy tale. This, of course, has been strongly believed by the long line of my ancestors, and I follow it. However, i've speculated that the tale of Shadow Light is an event that occurs once every thousand years in our world. I have yet to investigate more on this speculation, but I will get to that later." he said as he fiddled around with the cylindrical tube on his desk.

"Well right now, we're after the Calamity as we said earlier," spoke Maria as she crossed her arms. "You said you knew where these bases were located, right?"

"Ah, indeed." the professor said as he stood up from his seat. "Follow me then."

They followed him as he left his lab room, and stopped near the staircase that led to the ground level. There was a map of Gernn tacked onto the wall. The map was detailed in almost every aspect. It showed the locality of the highly concentrated soil and the forested regions, but most importantly... the location of the Alliance's main base.

"You see the dark red marks on the map?" Ricardo asked pointing towards the ones in Gernn. "Those are the ones we've located so far."

"There's one just near the village of Whipple. So that's why they were attacked..." Maria said noticing one of the red 'X' markings on the map of Gernn.

The one closest to here is coincidentally the biggest one. Our suspicions are on that particular facility."

"That would be southeast from here, you saying it's in the Southern Woods!" Ascal said frantically. "Man... not again."

The Outer Alliance base was located just near the entrance to the woods known as the Southern Woods over the lab. Before anyone could get past the long vast plains to their destination, a wooden sign planted on the ground next to the nearest tree caught everyone's attention. It read... _'Keep out at all costs!'_ Ignoring the sign, Ascal stepped forward but not before he heard a voice yelling from above.

"Can't you read the sign? It says 'keep out'!" a Vanguardian yelled as he jumped down from one of the coniferous trees. He was dressed in filthy clothes and held a dagger in his right hand, very similar to the bandits Mirage had encountered in Kirlsa Hills.

"Look, we don't got time to waste... so make it quick! What do you want?" Ascal asked looking a little bothered.

"You there... the one with the dark long wavy hair, you're the Savior aren't you! Filthy scum!" he yelled before blowing a loud whistle. At this cue, about a dozen other similar looking goons leaped down from the trees. "It's the Savior! He's gotta have one of those Fenrir crystals with him. If we're going to strike it big, this is the only time!"

"Wait..." one of the other thugs replied. "He's the Savior, right? Isn't he the one who was prophesiesed by the yogens that is the cause of our downfall?"

"Yeah... that's the reason why we've had to survive without a home for years. Just the more reason to kill him off!" the original cretin said as he looked at his opponents viciously.

"A group of thugs in a forest?" Maria said as she loaded her handgun. "I've lost count of how many times i've seen this before. gribble"

"Yeah, that is just so cliche!" Lieber chuckled.

The enraged goons began to throw rocks at them furiously as they slowly advanced with their sharp knives to bring doom to their foes. They positioned themselves in a way to trap Mirage and the others and looked to have the upper hand in the fight.

Mirage tried to slide past one of the bandits just as she lost her balance and fell half way. The bandit before her gave a perverted smile as he strangely reached towards Mirage with his bare hand rather than trying to slice her down. Seeing this, Mirage grabbed his arm and flung him over in front of her like a fly following it by kneeing him in the gut before he howled in pain as he coughed out blood.

Xeim, Lieber, and Welch did their best to fend off the rest but they were being outnumbered. Xeim charged towards his opponent to which he yelled, "I'll take you for a ride! Rising Air Flip!" Xeim flipped over his opponent while clutching his arms and releasing the bandit into the air. He followed this up by jumping towards him a few feet above the ground and tossing him into the far distance.

Ascal began to notice that there were archers present in the battle as well, arrows were being shot onto the field with terrible accuracy so far. However, that ended when one of the sharp steel edge of an arrow met its tip with Welch's calf as she was trying to evade two other bandits' knife slashes. "Watch out! Welch!" Ascal yelled.

Welch stayed on the ground as she squealed in pain, "Ooohhh!" She, however, managed to pluck the arrow out as it luckily didn't penetrate too deep.

"It's time to finish this!" an annoyed Maria said to herself but it turned out loud enough for everyone else to hear. She ran into a position which was equidistant between the archers and the other bandits just outside the woods, "It's getting awfully boring here! glub What say you guys get some more training first and then we'll fight again some other time?" she taunted as the enemies listened to her every word.

Out of rage, one of the goons who tried to stab Welch as she lay helpless turned towards Maria and yelled, "Get that bitch! Don't let that one get away!" all the opponents sprinted towards Maria with dexterity as she stood there posing and yawning.

Maria moved closer towards the archer before they could do any harm and as all the enemies had slowly surrounded her, she whipped out her handgun once again and leaped into the air as she aimed at the ground underneath her before unleashing an electrically charged bullet, "Magnetic Field!". The area beneath her was covered with a mass of electric field which was atleast five meters in diameter. All the enemies began to scream in pain as they suffered a jolting death. Maria landed safely as she came back down to the ground away from the impact by her bullet.

"Welch! Are you alright?" Mirage rushed towards the nimble, yet clumsy girl who was still on the ground as she held her right leg in pain. "Oh no... this wound looks really bad."

"That one's going to leave a mark." Xeim said before turning towards Ascal. "How much more distress will we have to put up with because of this 'Savior' absurdity?"

"Uh-uh! Not my fault!" Ascal retorted.

"Ow! It's okay... I-I can take care of it..." Welch barely spoke as the pain seemed to be getting to her more and more.

Mirage shook her head in disagreement. "Nonsense. I'll patch you up right away... but... all my medical tools are with Anastasia right now."

"Whoa... so you're a doc, too?" asked a surprised Ascal.

"Man, this is the last thing we needed. Kid, you should be more careful you know!" Lieber yelled as he walked past Welch.

Welch barely managed to speak back furiously, "Oh well i'm sorry, Mr. Takes Good Care of Himself!"

"I could use a healing spell on her but the wound that won't stop the bleeding completely. I think I saw a few emergency kits back at Neel's Lab..." Misty said as she looked back in the direction of the lab. "Why don't we go back there and let her heal up?"

"Good thinking," Mirage said as she stood back up. "This will also give us time to plan out our attack on the Alliance base successfully."

Mirage supported Welch's arm by her shoulders as she helped her walk as they headed back towards Professor Neel's lab. However, before they could move any further Maria was able to get a clean eye on one of the surviving thugs back in the woods.

"Hold it! There's still one of them! grob!" she yelled just when one of the female bandits leaped out of her concealment by the tree knowing she had been spotted. She tried to toss her dagger in Maria's direction aiming straight between her two eyes but Maria was able to duck and kneel down in a perfect spot for her to aim back at her with deadly accuracy using her laser aiming module, "I won't miss! Aiming Device!" The shot landed perfectly on the hoodlum's forehead sending her to her demise. Maria who tried to get back up slowly tripped on a large rock behind her as she tried to take a step back, "Aahhh!" she yelled as she landed on her back. Her feather hat as well fell in the process a few feet away from her. But that wasn't all... to everyone's shock, a small frog-like creature that looked like an amphibian jumped out of the feather hat.

"Grub grub! Gobble!" it made noises similar to the ones that were coming from Maria throughout the whole duration.

"What the...?" Lieber stared at it looking puzzled just like everyone else.

"Ohh ahh..." Maria turned beet red once again as she jumped back up to her feet. "I can explain that."

"Don't tell me... all those sounds were coming from that frog!" Xeim chortled.

Mirage didn't have a different expression herself, "Why were you hiding that thing under your hat anyway? Maria?"

At each comment, Maria began to turn even more red, "I saw it a few months back near my house. It's one of the few races on Edifice that can survive both under water and over land. I thought it was cute, so I kept it! Any problems with that?" she retorted as she gave everyone a look as if to dare them to laugh again.

"Not particularly, but why bring it all the way here?" asked Mirage.

"I couldn't just leave it behind now, could I?"

Grubb! the little creature jumped onto Maria's palm as she held it close to her.

"Wait... that why you brought along the little funny hat? So you can hide the little frog in it?" Ascal said amusingly.

"For your information, it's not a frog," replied Maria as she crossed her arms. "They're known as Elopians whose habitats, i'll admit, are similar to those of frogs but are much more capable. And call it 'Poshus', thank you. Now can we get a move on already!" She picked up her small feather hat began to move further ahead of the group as if to run away from the subject.

"I'd say our former captain has had a few changes of preferences, wouldn't you say?" an amused Mirage whispered to Lieber.

"Yeah... sigh Well, I am glad for her." said Lieber giving an unusual reply.

Maria didn't bother keeping the little Elopian known as Poshus back into the feather hat. She just slipped it in one of her pockets after whispering a few words to it, something others couldn't quite get.

"That thing'll suffocate in there!" Ascal shouted.

"Relax," Maria answered. "Elopians aren't affected by closed spaces."

------------------------

Ricardo, the descendent of Professor Neel, was one of the most proficient researchers in his line of ancestry along with his great grandfather. It was he who theorized that the shielding aura which concealed the island of the five stone pillars was caused by the force of Jindou. The same five stone pillars that had the yogens encrypted onto them by the Requiem Code upon the discovery of Neel's prophecies. Although many citizens of Gernn had an enmity with Rashfall and its Requiem Code, Ricardo and his assistants, who resided within Gernn, were actually in collaboration with Lord Dran and Rashfall's royalty.

"So this is the layout of their third base that has been spotted on Gernn so far?" Mirage asked as she narrowed her eyes onto the blueprint layout in front of her on Ricardo's desk.

Ricardo simply nodded, "Yes, although we were unable to figure out what the expansion of each area of the facility is. Other than, it's about as accurate as it can be." he said as he adjusted his lab coat.

"That's alright," Maria replied. "Any deeper speculations would have surely caught your investigation team in deep trouble from the jaws of the Calamity. Is there anything else you found?"

"About that... the main analyst of the research team, Gowen, here will explain it to you in more depth." said Ricardo glancing towards his assistant behind him.

Gowen nodded to his superior's request and started to speak after clearing his throat, "This layout not only includes details on the foundation itself but also on the specific activities carried out by the mysterious beings in there. There was a certain rift behind their base in which we made use of to stay concealed from their eyes while spying on their activities for 24 hours."

"That's quite impressive. Being able to stay out of the eyes of such highly advanced technological experts for a whole day." Xeim stated.

"Indeed, although i'd say we were more fortunate than anything. Anyway, we noticed that the military soldiers all appeared the same in terms of their dresscode apart from two other specifics who we failed to recognize."

"Could you atleast describe them?" Mirage asked curiously.

"Yes. One was a tall, broad man with blonde wavy hair and the other was chubby with a dark beard and a dark maroon helmet who looked to be carrying a large halberd." Gowen replied sophisticatedly.

Misty shook her head to show her lack of surprise, "Well those definitely sound like the ones we constantly bump into... Cliff and Shin. They seem to be missing Rodrigue though."

Gowen nodded like he pretended to understand, "The first 3 hours in the morning, the soldiers patrol around the borders of their base. This was the most dangerous and risky part of our speculation. However, almost every hour, the husky man with the funny armor would often take the rear exit in the 2nd sector of this layout to receive reports from the patrols. Between 6 and 8 hours, however, the man with the blonde hair took the same exit for a rather strange, yet intriguing activity."

"What did you see?" asked Mirage.

"He was carrying large cylindrical objects towards a conveyor belt. These things were emitting very odd luminous lights, somehow I could sense a limited force of Jindou energy within it. Then, the strangest thing happened... these objects were compressed by thin air before vanishing out of sight from the conveyor belt!" replied a shocked Gowen.

_'He must mean transporters...'_ Mirage thought to herself before replying, "You said those objects emitted an energy type similar to that of Jindou. Then there's no doubt that those contained some other form of Fenrir crystals which were being transported."

"Yes, that was what I thought as well when I first heard about it." Ricardo added.

"And this repeated itself over the course of 24 hours..." Gowen said.

Just then, Welch and Lieber came down to the lab after Welch's leg had been patched up.

"How are you holding out now, Welch?" Mirage asked as she looked down at her right calf.

"It's perfectly fine. I hope you're not planning to exclude me because of this!" Welch demanded. The others were glad to see Welch filled with so much energy, it did show that she was back to her full potential now.

"It's all thanks to your medical capabilities, capt'n..." Lieber said while looking towards Mirage. "Without you, none of us could have done this job suitably. It seems that disinfectant you recommended really worked!"

"That's great news, then I suppose we're all ready to join in here now."

Gowen, the professor's assistant, brought several different blueprint layouts for a more accurate illustration of the Outer Alliance's headquarters in the Southern Woods. After they had looked over the layout of the Alliance's base and the exact times the activities take place one more time, Mirage and the others had laid out their offensive plan.

"Alright then, let's go over this again," Ricardo said. "Maria will be taking care of the towers next to the pillars near the third sector of the base. The lever in the tower will be used then to close the exits of all the sectors while Cliff will be busy securing the Fenrir crystals. Meanwhile, Xeim and Welch will be taking care of the 2nd sector while Lieber and Ascal look after the first. Misty, will follow the rear to breech into the third sector where Shin will remain isolated due to all the exits for each sector being closed. It will be your job to distract Shin until the plan has been fully carried out."

"Leave it to me." Misty nodded confidently.

"Mirage, the fenrir crystals will be located over at the exit of the third sector. The only way to eliminate their primary base is to find a source large enough to create a drastic explosion. Only the fenrir crystals would have that kind of power within the base. Welch, it will ultimately be up to you to finish this job."

"Ready as ever!" Welch shook her fists looking just as intent.

"What about Cliff?" Maria asked.

"Don't worry, i'll take care of that..." replied Mirage as she stood up from one of the lab seats. "It's the only choice we've got. Just make sure to release the rear exit once you receive your cue, i'll handle the situation until then."

"Yeah! Let's do it, baby! After a long time, i've got a good feeling this time!" Lieber exclaimed.

"One more thing..." Ricardo went on. "If any of the exits within the sectors aren't timed to close at the critical moment, we will have to resort to using explosives to rip them open."

"That will be a piece of cake. Let me handle it." Welch answered excitedly.

"Alrighty then. Let's finish off this disease once an' for all!" Ascal proclaimed.

Mirage nodded in agreement, "We don't have much time. If we want this to work, we'll have to get to the base in a couple of hours! Let's hurry on..."


	18. Think and Attack!

**Chapter 18**

**Think and Attack!**

As they headed backed towards the Southern Woods, Mirage often wondered why the Professor's lab was located in Gernn even though they had ties with the Requiem Code. It was strange but she figured it had to do with the rich Jindou concentration within Gernn's land.

Maria, on the other hand, was wondering about the rest of the Quark members, "Hey Mirage. You mentioned Steeg and Marietta are back at the Diplo, have you contacted them ever since you arrived here?"

"No..." Mirage shook her head. "I've tried a few times but I don't think they've returned yet from the Federation Station. They must be involved in some very critical activity."

"As long as we manage to stop the Alliance from causing anymore harm to this planet, we can live peacefully." Lieber added. "I'm sure the Fed is dealing with the rest of the Alliance at this very moment."

The large base of the Outer Alliance was shaped like a dome. As planned, there were no patrols out near the base on guard at this time. Mirage and the others moved closer towards the infrastructure carefully. It was surrounded by numerous trees and it was hidden extremely well for such a large facility. The exterior was made from a very exquisite type of metal. As expected, the base had three exits... two of which were visible from Mirage's position and another one which was on the opposite side.

Mirage walked closer towards the structure and tapped the outer shell of the base with her finger tips, "This feels odd... this isn't just your everyday metal alloy. The surface is a lot tougher than I thought."

"Hmm..." Maria inspected its exterior as well as she rester her hand on her chin. "Superconducting aluminum... This isn't something we can get past so easily."

"Wait, if this is superconducting aluminum, then there is no way the explosives will help us in a place like this." Lieber said looking worried.

"Like you know!" Welch exclaimed. "Watch this..." She set an EP Bomb within a matter of seconds and tied it around the bottom area of the base's exterior. Everyone walked back about 10 metres from the impact before the explosion took place.

The explosion created a huge cloud of smoke in front of everyone. They waited for it to clear up before they could get a good sight on the damage. However, just as the others predicted, there was no scratch at all.

"Aww how can that be!" Welch whined.

"What did I tell you?" Lieber shouted angrily.

What they didn't realize was that the explosion triggered alarms in all three sectors and the base started flashing red in all areas as soldiers began to assemble in order just outside the base. There were about 2-3 that took the exits from each of the sectors.

"Uh oh... this doesn't look good at all." Ascal claimed.

"Let's hurry! I'll take care of these ones myself!" Xeim announced as he slowly took cover behind one of the trees near the base.

"Stop there!" one of the soldiers shouted to which everyone else had ignored. "So it's the Federation again..."

Maria curved in towards the right path after taking down the soldier with her handgun, "Aiming Device!" She continued to run past the rest of the squad while trying to keep herself concealed at the same time as she neared the tower-shaped structure next to a large pillar that supported it.

The guards in the tower spotted Maria with their surveillance, but were unable to target her successfully once she hid herself well from their sight. "Find her now!" ordered one of the guards, but the other one didn't comply. He instead began firing mindlessly from his spot hoping to somehow connect his shot with the height advantage he had from the tower. Just when Maria noticed how nervous the two guards had become she stepped back out and aimed at the enemy with her handgun as quick as she could.

"Scatter Beam!" Maria felt a pulse of energy run through her veins before triggering a shot between the two confused soldiers. The strong energy pulse from Maria created a strong turbulence at the release of the trigger splitting the bullet into two identical ones catching both guards at the same time. The enemies in the tower fell over the rail in the opening after taking the lethal shots straight to the tempo.

Maria had reached the control level of the tower-shaped structure in a matter of a few minutes. The controls looked extremely familliar to her, _'This should be a cinch'_ she thought to herself once she pulled one of the levers after entering a few characters from the keys next to the lever.

"Alright. The rest is up to you now, Mirage..." Maria said to herself as she took a moment to relax.

The others tried to fend off the other Alliance troops, the trees in the woods helped was a good way to shield themselves from the enemy's sight. Xeim created a large enough distraction for everyone else to pass through the exits, which were still left open, into the base.

Meanwhile Cliff, on the other end of the base, had already started his process of transporting the containers loaded with Fenrir crystals. There were about dozens of them, but it was doubtful that the crystals took up all the room in each. One in each was already luminating with so much power.

_'Just a little longer and we're outta here...'_ Cliff thought to himself while taking a short break. Suddenly, heard the alarm signals go off. He stood back up with a look of surprise on his face. As he tried to race back into the base's interior, one of the troopers came out through the exit to inform Cliff of the invasion.

"Cliff! We have sighted trespassers in front of Gate 1 and they're currently trying to engage us in battle! We require your assistance." he said in a high-pitched voice.

"Damn. Who is it? The Federation? Or is it Quark?" asked Cliff as he crossed his arms throwing a serious expression towards the trooper.

"We are unable to confirm. We have just reported to Commander Shin about the attack as well!"

Cliff nodded boldly, "Alright i'll be there right away!"

The two began to run back towards the second sector when they were suddenly ambushed by a mysterious figure that leaped down in front of them from the roof of the sector.

"Mirage!" Cliff exclaimed as he watched her slam the trooper into the wall before kicking him in the gut.

Mirage turned towards Cliff, "Looks like you'll have to get past me first in order to help your men back there." she declared as she put her hands on her waist standing tall.

"Don't tell me you're gonna try to stop me _again_!" Cliff said as he shrugged. "Looks like i'll have to trounce past you this time as well."

Just then, the exit to the sectors had begun to close allowing neither of them to run away in the midst of the fight. Cliff tried to rush through Mirage hoping she would try to dodge the attack but instead, she held her palm out just at the right time to give a hard blow to Cliff's chest. "Ooof!" he staggered back a few steps.

"Sphere of Might!" Mirage yelled as she took a few steps towards Cliff before unleashing a large ball of energy in front of her. Cliff, however, laughed it off showing that it had zero effect on him. _'Hmm... just as I thought'_ Mirage judged in her mind. This time, she started charging towards Cliff who was about three meters away from her, but just as Cliff tried to counter it with his fist, Mirage was able to get both her hands on his shoulders and flip over him using him as a support. Once she landed directly behind him, she threw a swift sweep onto Cliff's ankles. He fell flat on his face as Mirage lunged towards his back, she pinned him down to the ground with her strong solid knees while he attempted to resist.

"So this has been your little trick, huh?" Mirage said as she sliced the belt strapped around Cliff's waist after busting the mechanism with a strong punch. The malfunction of the strapped belt created sparks of electricity all around the belt which Cliff was still equipped with.

"Auugghh!" Cliff cried in pain from the shock prompting him to throw the strap off his body. He kneeled down for a few seconds before getting back up, "Y-You're a lot craftier than you ever were!" he stated.

Mirage simply stood there in her fighting stance and the only words that came from her mouth at that moment were, "Omoi dou serei seikou!"

Xeim and Welch were just across the first sector did their best to fight off the troops that prevented them to get any further. They carried disrupter rifles, just like they did in Kaddan. Welch tried to hide herself behind a tree while they took their shoots but just that instant, the tree was vaporized by the bullets. The same thing was happening to the other objects in the field.

"We won't get into the base in time at this rate!" Welch shouted to Xeim who was at the other end trying to hide himself from the brigade.

"Got a better idea?" he shot back paying very little attention. "We can't just take them all out in one shot like this... we'll get vaporized in less than a second!"

The Alliance soldiers stopped there fire for a few seconds to track down their foes. Their only weakness was that they were incredibly close to each other, which Welch was able to notice and make use of.

"Maybe if I do this..." Welch started to speak just as she picked out some tools from her small backpack. She screwed together a Durian Bomb which she held in her fist tightly before taking another look at the enemy. "Here goes!" she shouted before tossing the bomb into the air towards them. The enemy, who noticed this instantly took a shot at the object but it detonated just right there next to the enemy. The bomb didn't have any physical effect on them except it left them lying on the ground in a dizzy and groggy state.

"Hurry! Let's get inside." Welch yelled as Xeim followed through the exit which remained unshut up until now. Maria was able to close the gates in time with perfect timing just as the alert signal went off.

"Now let's just hope everyone else is doing well..." Xeim said as he looked around the first sector's interior. "Ever wonder how they move between their bases? They don't seem to have any other transporters around here."

"Beats me..." Welch replied not understanding much of what he said.

The ceiling was almost completely covered with glass pipes which were currently empty. Their ends led to large funnel set in each end of the room on top of a cylindrical shaped container which was just as large. Xeim and Welch noticed that the glasses were slightly stained. Generally, the area looked like a mixture of a lab and the bridge of a warship with a bunch of rooms pushed together.

The same went for the other sectors. Lieber and Ascal on the other end found themselves ambushed by another brigade of Alliance troops just as they entered the facility.

"You're not going to get away now!" shouted a slender looking Alliance officer as he stood in front of the rest of the squad with his rifle.

"Alright, Savior... let's see what you can do." Lieber whispered to Ascal.

"I'm not going to underestimate these wimps this time. Just you watch...!" Ascal responded as he ran towards the enemy in what looked like a mindless fashion. However, as the bullets started to fly Ascal unsheathed his sabre leaped into the air in time, "Flaming Tempest!" he shouted as his blade was once again ignited with flames while he somersaulted in the air thrice slicing anything that came in its path.

"Hey, not bad." Lieber smirked as he kneeled into his own position. "So... you guys need to cool off? Hail striker!" Four pellets wrapped in ice were unleashed from his rifle as they shattered like icicles once they made contact with the enemy.

Misty in the meantime was able to escape into the third sector within time. It was just like the others, except she was alone in this one. She stepped forward slowly not bothering to take a look around. While somehow being able to sense the presence of another being in the room, it wasn't long before she saw the Commander staring at one of the large glass pipes in the dark corner of the room, "It's good to see you again." she said.

"So it looks like you cretins have finally shown your face again," Shin spoke in an unusually loud voice. "Where are the others? I suppose you're the only one who made it here alive. Bahahaha!"

"..." Misty was silent during most of their talk. "I can't allow you to interfere with our tasks." she stated in an almost emotionless tone.

"Heh, well this should be interesting..." laughed Shin as he whipped out his halberd. "So you can use symbology, huh? Well, I guess we're one of the same kind then. I'm looking forward to see how much you have within you."

Misty reached inside her robe for her orbs which allowed her to use powers of alchemy, "If that is what you wish."

Shin struck his halberd into the ground and started chanting a few words, "Aria of the wind, cut into blades, and slash every-..."

His chant, however, was interrupted with Misty's spell as the orb levitated higher and higher into the air, "Spirit of the flames, dance. Efreet!" A fiery beast covered in flames rose from the ground and smashed Shin with its fist consecutive times at an enormous speed.

"Uuughh!" Shin cried in pain as he tried to get back onto his feet. "ARIA OF THE WIND, CUT INTO BLADES, AND-..."

"Spirit of the flames, dance."

The same result caught Shin in a swirl of fire as he received burns again from the fiery beast. "Th-That's impossible...! How can you cast a spell like that in such a small time!"

"Spirit of the flames, dance." Misty repeated yet again ignoring whatever Shin had to say. By this time his face had almost completely turned pitch black from the wounds and his armor suit started to lose its color and was dented horribly.

Shin out of rage picked up his halberd like a javelin and tossed it towards Misty as quickly as he could. Just before Misty would get struck by the sharp end of the halberd she held out her left hand while concentrating with her eyes closed. Suddenly, the halberd bounched of an invisible wall and fell to the ground undamaged. Shin, however did not attempt to retrieve it.

"D-Dammit... i'm not going to die here!" Shin yelled holding his right shoulder in intense pain. He quickly ran towards his end of the room and transported out of sight completely.

Misty walked closer to the corner where Shin was earlier, but surprisingly she did not see a transporter anywhere around. Instead there was a pale white tile which looked a lot different from the others. The tile was also much large than the others, and as Misty neared she noticed that it was shedding light above it.

_'That wasn't too hard' _Misty thought as she sighed a quick breath of relief.


	19. A Bold Confrontation

**Chapter 19**

**A Bold Confrontation**

Back at the 2nd sector's rear area, it was Cliff this time who was having trouble keeping up with Mirage. He had lost some of his confidence without his enigmatic device which allowed Mirage to take full advantage over him.

"Give it up, Cliff!" Mirage said as she delivered another roundhouse kick across his left cheek bringing him down once again. "It won't work this time..."

"Grrrr..." Cliff was agitated, he knew if there was one person who would not let herself be affected by taunts, it was Mirage. "This feels just like that time back at Jingu."

"Well, thank goodness your memory is still intact." said Mirage.

Cliff stood back up and took about four steps back. "But that doesn't mean i'm gonna let you win...! Hammer of Might!" he roared as two sets of explosion hit straight in Mirage's direction causing the ground to disfigure just a little. Mirage did her best to block the attack but the impact caused her to lose her balance. He then found his chance to start charging up his powerful technique after seeing Mirage in a recovering position. Seeing this, Mirage got back up and instead of taking him down before he gets a chance to strike, she took a stance to prepare for what was coming for her.

"I'll flatten you with this! MAX SHOCKWAAVE!" Cliff screamed expelling a surge of shock from his palms as he thrusted his fist outwards towards Mirage.

Mirage, who was ready for his technique, leaped into a height large enough to escape the attack as she cartwheeled into the air towards Cliff. The calm and collected leader of Quark delivered a quick uppercut with her fist straight onto Cliff's jaw while he was still in his attacking position.

"Oof!" Cliff shouted after receiving the blow.

"Crescent Locus!" yelled Mirage delivering a kick which extended so high that it created four crescents in the direction of Cliff with each hit lifting him in the air. Mirage then draw back her right foot trying to put all her energy in that leg, "Triple Kick! Hah! Hah! HYAAH!" The three large kicks were able to catch Cliff in mid-air delivering a massive blow causing him to crash onto the closed exit. Just after the contact, the exit started to open back up.

"Ugh... that's g-good... Mirage..." Cliff spoke his last words before falling unconscious defeated.

Mirage stood in her position keeping her eyes on Cliff as she saw him down, not being able to get back up. Just then her thoughts were interrupted by Welch, Ascal, Xeim, and Lieber who rushed through the open gate with ample time.

"Thank goodness you're all fine!" Mirage exclaimed as she looked at each of them proudly.

"...Yeah, you too capt'n." Lieber replied as he looked around. "Where's Maria? She's not here yet?"

"I'm guessing she's still somewhere near the tower." Xeim said as he walked towards the large cylindrical containers that looked like drum cans. "So these must be it. The Fenrir crystals."

"It'd be a shame to have all of these stuff go to waste, but it's probably our only hope at the moment. We've gotta hurry, we took care of them for now but they're gonna be bringing reinforcements soon!" Ascal said as he looked towards Welch.

"Alright then, here goes..." Welch stepped towards the containers of the crystals and kneeled down beside one of them. "I suppose one of them will do just fine."

All the sectors within the base must have already been in a pool of blood by now. The explosion would most definitely create a lot more of it. The area behind the second sector could almost pass for a small garden. It wasn't covered by any metallic exterior, but instead was surrounded by a slightly stained glass. Mirage figured this would be the right time to contact the Diplo in the meantime but Welch looked as if she already had something to say.

"Alright, all done!" Welch said frantically as she got back up. The red-colored device looked more like a mine than an actual bomb.

"That was quick," Ascal smiled looking impressed. "Now we've gotta find Maria and get outta here _fast_!"

"Wait..." Mirage stopped to look towards Cliff who was still lying in the same position. "We have to take him with us!"

"What?" asked Xeim who was caught by surprise. "What do you mean 'take him'! We can't just take an enemy with us..."

Mirage gave him an annoyed look. "Trust me, I know what i'm doing!"

Xeim sighed agreeing to his captain's orders. He walked towards Cliff and carried him on his shoulder with ease. Although he wasn't as large as Cliff was, their strength was definitely comparable.

Once they were ready to head back out, it wasn't long before Maria joined them just when they reached the interior of the first sector. She was able to do an impressive job of infiltrating the tower quickly and using the exits to Quark's advantage.

"Well done, Maria. Now we just have to get out this place before the explosive takes effect." Mirage advised to which Maria nodded quickly. However, the other exits began to open as well and brigades of Alliance soldiers were being transported through an odd-looking transporter in each room as they chased down the intruders.

"Get them!" they shouted as they chased them through the main sector of the base. They then commenced the firing using disrupter rifles but weren't able to make contact due to Quark making their escape just in the nick of time.

Just at the exit, a huge explosion took place at the other end of the base. The explosion's impact however was extending outside the radius of the base. Mirage and the others made a huge leap as far away from the explosion as they could. The two Klausians found themselves on a steep hill in the woods as they rolled further and further away from the base until they got back into the entrance of the Southern Woods. The last thing they saw of the base was a smoke of cloud rising many meters above the ground, scraps of metal and glasses from the base reached all the way to the entrance of the woods.

------------------------

The crew decided to head back to Neel's laboratory once they had met up and cleaned up any mess they had with them just as they headed out of the Southern Woods.

"Whew! That takes care of that one." Lieber said as he wiped the sweat of his forehead.

"It's been a while since i've gotten any contact from the Diplo." Mirage said as she picked up her communicator to check for any incoming transmissions.

"So... any transmissions?" Maria asked hopefully.

The communicator was only receiving loud scrambling noises, but Mirage slowly noticed that she was starting to pick up a voice.

"Hold on! I think i've got them!" announced Mirage gladly. "Diplo! Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, captain! It's been a while!" exclaimed Marietta excitedly.

"YAY! They're back!" Welch shouted in a cheerful manner while jumping delirously.

Mirage was incredibly joyous to hear Marietta's voice, "Good timing, Marietta. We're just about finished here as well. Transport us up!" she said.

"So how did it go! I've been impatient to listen about what's been happening on Vanguard."

"That will have to wait, unfortunately. It will take far too long to explain everything." Mirage replied firmly.

"Alright! I guess i'll wait for all the news until you get back then." Marietta replied.

"See you soon, then."

"Aren't we going to head to Neel's lab first?" Xeim asked as he was still carrying Cliff on his shoulder.

Mirage shook her head, "We can't have you lugging Cliff around everywhere. So i'll tell you what... i'll have Marietta transport you to the Diplo right away with Cliff. The rest of us will be there once we clarify the situation to the Requiem Code."

"Roger." Xeim nodded.

"Oh... and make sure you take Cliff to Anastasia first thing right away." Mirage gave her orders as she looked towards Cliff with a sympathetic and compassionate expression on her face.

Upon reaching the lab, Ricardo congratulated Mirage, Ascal, and the others on their success.

"So it worked!" he said as he clenched his fist tightly.

"Yes, we've finally played our cards right, and I have to thank you for it Ricardo." Mirage said as she gave the professor a look of gratitude.

"Yeah, ya know... you'd have made a real good Savior yourself!" Ascal said amusingly. "After me, of course."

Ricardo slapped his hand on his chest before giving a sarcastic reply, "My... your words are too kind, Savior!"

"That base was the big one. So it looks like your Calamity troubles should be worn down now!" Welch said energetically.

"Indeed. So I assume the Outer Alliance has been fully well taken care of now?" asked Ricardo as he started biting his fingernails from curiosity.

"No..." Misty shook her head. "Shin barely managed to escape. But he won't pose much threat here anymore, we'll take care of him."

"That's good to hear. Don't you guys worry about the other bases..." Ricardo said. "I and Ascal along with the royal guards can take care of them from here. I may not be as well equipped as your chirpy friend, but I have some handy supplies with me."

"I look forward to visiting you again when I get the chance." Mirage smiled before bidding farewell to the professor.

Ricardo nodded as he pushed his specs back with his fingers, "Do take care now."

Before heading out, Ascal asked them to escort him back to Rashfall. It was a long trip, but Mirage figured that this will atleast give her a chance to address the situation to the Royal Requiem Code personally.

------------------------

The town of Rashfall had already begun celebrating the Savior's first success once everyone had returned to Ascal's much pleased royal home. There were fireworks and confetti blown at the dramatic entry of Ascal Ribuel. Many chants could be heard far into the crowd shouting, _'Savior! Savior!' _

Upon the entry of the royal manor, once they got through the crowd, they were personally greeted by the Chancellor who led them once again to the throne. Along with Lord Dran and the Chancellor, also present there was a young girl about the age of Ascal dressed royally. She apparently had a close connection with Ascal.

"Kuleha... is that you!" Ascal glanced towards her in amazement.

"Ascal!" she ran towards him and the two shared a rejoiceful embrace. They obviously had a lot more going than they claimed.

"Savior... you have done well on your mission. I've also heard that your success wiped most of the Calamity right away! There is nothing I can do to return what you have done for me, son." Lord Dran spoke in a much more confident tone than earlier.

"Yes, a fine job indeed." Kuleha agreed to the Lord's every word.

"Father..." Ascal looked up towards his old man with gratitude. "Your Majesty, if there is anyone to thank... it is not me. It is this strong-minded lady and her companions who have helped me all along." he said as he looked back towards Mirage.

"Ah yes... forgive us for our suspicions earlier." the Chancellor bowed towards the others in respect. "We don't know how to thank you for how much you've helped us even though we are complete strangers in your eyes."

"That's not true." Mirage shook her head as she slowly stood up to speak before the Chancellor. "You're not strangers to us. After all the time we've spent here, and all the people we've met... we too are now part of this world. It's the kind of connection all places in the world have with each other, even with Gernn. I'm sure you feel the same way too."

Lord Dran nodded with a slight smile on his face, "That's right, once all the yogens have been fulfilled... it will be time that we settle our differences. So what will you all do now?"

"We're going to go back where we came from. Our job has not been completed yet." Lieber replied.

Ascal looked at them raising an eyebrow, "Where's Xeim? Isn't he with you guys?"

"No, Xeim has already taken off with Cliff." Mirage said.

"You should atleast stay for dinner?" requested Lord Dran.

Mirage, however, refused politely. "That won't be necessary, your Majesty. Thank you for your concern." she said while bowing.

"Oh right, I don't think i've introduced you to her yet," Ascal interrupted as he looked towards Kuleha. "That's Kuleha, she's the daughter of the Lord's closest friend who passed away few years ago."

Welch gave her an aesthetic look. "She's very pretty!"

"I've heard what you all have done not only for Ascal but for the Requiem Code as well..." Kuleha said as she started shaking Mirage's hand. "I couldn't thank you enough for everything."

Ascal gave his usual smirk as he looked towards his companions and friends, " So I guess it's goodbye from here. I still haven't fulfilled the role as my Savior, but i'll take care of the rest."

"Just don't overdo yourself, Ascal. And Kuleha, you take care as well." Mirage replied as they started to head back out.

"I'll be looking forward to the next time you decide to pay us a visit again. Ya'll don't go hurting yourselves now... and good luck..." Ascal said as he waved his arm.

"Will do..." replied Lieber.

After everyone bidded farewell and thanked each other, Mirage and the others took the south exit of Rashfall and found themselves back into the forested region, except it was almost midnight by now.

"Okay then, we're heading back to the Diplo." Mirage announced as she gave a quick glimpse towards the others.

Once Mirage got a hold of Marietta again, they were instantly transported back to the Diplo from just outside the city. The last thing they saw of Rashfall were the fireworks being blown into the air as the stars gazed down upon the manor. It was almost like the whole town was being blessed for its effort to demolish the Calamity once and for all.


	20. To Keep You Safe

**Chapter 20**

**To Keep You Safe**

The Diplo was obviously in for many surprises. Xeim had already given them a surprise of their life before bringing an unconscious Cliff to Anastasia in the sick bay. As soon as Mirage was transported back up to the Diplo, she was greeted by her subordinates formally. Maria was given an emotional and warm welcome by the rest of the crew as well.

"I'm glad we could meet again." Marietta said while giving a hug to her former captain. "I've tried to look for you all this time too!"

"Marietta..." said Maria with a slight frown on her face. "You don't know how great it feels to see everyone again. I'm sorry, I really didn't get a chance to visit you in all this time."

"..." Marietta was silent for a moment as she started thinking about her words. "No, I understand. The important thing is that you're here with us now. With you around, there's always going to be a lot more hope among everyone in Quark."

"And it seems like you've shown a lot of change in the past few years, Maria." Steeg replied with a gentle smirk on his face.

"It's been a while Steeg, you on the other hand haven't changed at all," Maria smiled back before she suddenly remembered something very important to her. "Oh, right. Poshus! I haven't checked on him lately." she said as Steeg and Marietta gave a confused look to each other. The others chuckled at their puzzled state.

Mirage stepped forward towards the upper deck of Diplo, "Clark. Have you seen where Xeim is?" she asked one of Quark's top officers of the science team who was taking a sip from the small water fountain in the corner.

Clark turned around to give an answer, "Captain, it's great to see you again! Xeim is currently in the sick bay with Anastasia, he mentioned it being part of your direct orders."

Mirage nodded and thanked him before heading for the sick bay. Once everyone had slowly assembled into the room, Mirage was eagerly waiting on what Anastasia had to say. Anastasia, among the newest members of Quark, joined the military organization of Klaus IV at a very young age after graduating from one of the most prestigious universities in Lazeria. Many described her as 'cheeky' which soon became a nickname with her closest friends because she wasn't built physically at all, her main strength lied in her scientific uses for medical capabilities which surpassed even the medical skills of Mirage.

"He's perfectly normal, there is nothing wrong with him. He has just suffered a mild concussion, no need to worry. We all know how quickly Cliff can recover." she said trying to comfort everyone around Cliff who was lying on a large stretcher in the room which looked more like a hospital bed.

"So it is without a doubt, Cliff..." Mirage said looking a little surprised. "And he's perfectly normal too. Then why...?"

"Let's not worry too much now," Steeg said trying to lighten up the mood. "You guys came back from a really tough job, take some rest and then we'll discuss our next course of action."

Maria agreed with Steeg's concern, "Yeah... I admit this isn't a good time to relax, but we need to take some time to settle down a little."

"Yes, you're right..." Mirage said as she started to head out of the room. She tried her best to brush away the storm of thoughts that filled her mind and was successful at doing so for the time being. "Well then, i'm going to jump in the shower for the meantime. You guys are free to do anything you like. We'll meet at the conference room once you're all ready."

"Roger, captain." Lieber, Steeg, and Marietta abided by their captain's order along with the rest of the comrades.

Each living quarter in the lower deck of the ship consisted of a quadrant for taking showers. It was only one of the few upgrades that made the Diplo not only the classiest, but the most durable ship of Klaus outside of the Klausian government's possession.

_'The water feels cold today...' _Mirage thought while stepping into her room's small quadrant. A lot of concerns ran through her mind as she leaned against the wall in the shower letting out a sigh of restlessness.

"Cliff... what's going on?" said Mirage to herself as the water trickled down her body slowly. "I just don't know what to do right now... I wonder what _they_ will be doing now."

Suddenly she remembered Steeg and Maria's words earlier about taking time to relax and relieve herself of any stress. Those words were something she would hear everyday at the dojo as a student. It was also known as one of the most popular principles of Qigong. Thinking about all these things left Mirage to drift off into a small flashback of her time in Klaus.

------------------------

"Aaaahh!" young Mirage squealed as she fell to the floor flat on her back while trying keep up with her opponent.

"Aw c'mon, what's the matter, little fox? Running out of breath already! Haha!" the opponent taunted as the other students laughed watching on the duel.

Mirage was only 15, the yougest student to have ever stepped into the Jingu school when she was 11 four years ago. It was not of her own will that she wanted to attend the school, Dan Koas had a lot of insisting and pushing to do before she would finally agree to become a full fledged student at the dojo.

"Grrrr! Shut up!" a belligerent Mirage filled with rage got back onto her feet before running towards her opponent to strike head on. But as she got closer and closer to her opponent, she felt her momentum suddenly fall apart. Her right foot extended too far at one point where she pulled her hamstring and was cut short by the opponent with a backdrop before she could thrust her fist forward. The others laughed more in amusement.

"I guess the fun's over!" her opponent chuckled till no end while raising both his arms in victory mockingly.

At the end of class, once everyone had left the dojo, Dan was taking care of his beloved daughter patching up her bruises. Mirage was settled on the small bench beside Dan's medical box set.

"How's that leg, Mirage? I hope it feels better now." spoke Dan as he looked down at her thigh which was swelling bright pink from pain.

Mirage answered back furiously, "Oh i'm alright. Of course I am, I just got beaten like a ragdoll by a high-class Jujutsu trainee expert seven years older than me. What else could feel better!"

"Mirage, listen. I'm sorry about pushing you into this," Dan replied as slowly as he stopped for a second. "It was Lucia's wish. She desired you to become a strong, independent women so you could defend yourself against any threat which she herself couldn't do. That's the responsibility she left me."

"Mother...?" Mirage said calming down a little.

"Yes, you do remember what happened to your mother don't you?"

"Yeah... but _you_ were always there for us, right father?"

"Of course i'd risk my life for you if it had to come down to that. But a time is going to come when you are going to have to do everything yourself, become a leader between people, and show a tough exterior."

"How will I ever do that?"

"It's quiet easy. All you have to do is remember the key mantra."

"What's that?"

"Don't let yourself be so hot-headed like the girl you are not. Keep yourself calm and relaxed in any situation, you're going to find yourself successful at every step. That's the key mantra. Calm and stay relaxed."

"...Oh! Um, okay. I'll... try."

"Why don't you try getting help from other new students who could use your help as well?"

"Who in this dojo would want to help me anyway? They're all so mean!"

Dan was stumped for a bit at Mirage's question, he had to admit not many were friendly to her. He did, however, remember one particular student. "Why don't you try that new student who just arrived two weeks ago. He's new and he seems to be struggling almost as much as you."

"You mean Cliff? But he's like 9 years older than me! He's going to make fun of me too..." Mirage complained with a sullen expression on her face.

"I'm sure he'll be glad to take help." answered Dan.

Mirage paused for a moment before speaking, "Well I suppose. He is one of the only students who's ever been nice to me... I guess i'll try asking him."

"That's the spirit!"

------------------------

Thinking back to those times always brought a new energy and confidence level into her heart everytime she would feel broken down, "I wonder how father has been handling the students at the dojo?" she asked herself. Mirage at this point was so relaxed into her thoughts while the water still ran down her lissome and gracefully slender figure that she fell into a deep slumber without noticing. The nap, however, didn't last long. Mirage was awoken by an incoming transmission on her communicator. She quickly stepped out of the quadrant to grab her compact communicator.

"Captain! Do you read me?" shouted Marietta.

"Marietta, what's wrong? " Mirage could notice the urgency in her voice

"I've just received a message from the Anastasia. She says Cliff has regained consciousness!" Marietta replied in a hesitant manner.

Mirage abruptly said, "I'll be there right away!"

Not wasting a single moment in her room, Mirage quickly undraped herself off the towel after drying herself and put herself back into her regular clothes. A turquoise-colored Quark leather jacket which went over her dark red sleeveless turtleneck, along with a dark colored tight pair of shorts. She then grabbed her Klausian battle boots along with her gauntlet before heading out of the room.

------------------------

The Diplo's conference room was the same it was four years ago. Almost nothing had changed. Mirage, Maria, Xeim, Lieber, Misty, and Welch were seated in the front seats of the room along with Cliff Fittir who was finally up surprisingly posing no threat this time. There were about four other Quark soldiers at each of the four exits of the room who were also present keeping an eye on Cliff.

"How are you feeling now, Cliff?" Mirage asked in slightly peaceful voice.

"Fine. Although I was expecting a slightly different question than that from you guys." Cliff muttered a little as he hung his head disappointingly.

"I think that's something for you to explain yourself. And I was more worried about your current conditions than the actions you've made in the past few days." Mirage replied slowly.

"Heh, you certainly haven't changed a bit Mirage..." Cliff slowly fell back into his seat planting a sad and forlorn expression on his face. "All right, i'll explain everything I know about what's been going on..."

"We would rest a lot easier if you did..." Maria gave a blunt response.

"What was the Alliance doing to you all this time, Cliff? Whatever were you trying to do?" Steeg asked curiously as he fixed his specs.

Cliff took a deep breath after clearing his throat, "First things first... let's make one thing clear. Commander Shin isn't the only one you're after if you're going to attempt to stop the Alliance. I hope you know that much."

"Because he leads the Outer Alliance team, right?" Welch asked.

"Uh huh, the Alliance is divided into three main branches: The Outer Alliance, The Inner Alliance, and The Direct Alliance. The Outer Alliance proceeds in fulfilling any orders proclaimed by the Inner Alliance commanders who reside in Vendeen." Cliff said in a monotonous voice.

"So... does that makes you part of the Outer Alliance team?" Lieber asked with a puzzled expression.

Cliff paused before giving his response, "I... wasn't really with the Alliance."

"Uh... what?" a surprised Marietta asked.

"What do you mean you were not with them?" Mirage asked bluntly.

Cliff shifted comfortably into his seat before speaking again, "I guess you guys know about the Vendeeni attack on the Eagle, right? Both ships were said to be missing after the assault, but that wasn't the case. We were instead captured by the Vendeeni who were with the Alliance along with the Outer Alliance commander, Shin."

"So that explains the mystery about you and Lancer 'vanishing'." Maria said as she brushed back her navy blue hair.

"So what did Shin want from you?" Steeg asked curiously expecting a quick and honest answer.

"Supposedly the Alliance wanted me to cooperate with them so they can get everything they need from the Pangalactic Federation, I suppose it was because of my popularity and physical capabilities. Not only that, but i've had experience at dealing with them before and they needed someone who can get to the Federation easily. At my obvious refusal, I was interrogated in one of the labs on Vendeen. After thinking that they had a hold of me, I agreed to their demands and went along with their orders. I'm guessing similar methods were used on hundreds of other life forms for other reasons who are now part of the Alliance."

"So is that why you were with them the whole time?" asked Xeim disappointingly.

Cliff shook his head while smiling cunningly, "Nope, that's not it. You guys know how used I am to interrogating, so of course I didn't fall for those chumps' demands... I simply joined them from my own will. See, me and Lancar had constantly heard about the Alliance on the Eagle. About how the Federation failed in their attempts to put a halt to the Alliance's terrorism and just how helpless everyone in the universe would soon become because of their actions. So when I was captured and they gave me the offer, I saw it as the biggest oppurtunity I or anyone from the Federation would ever have to find out more about these crooks. Even the top Federation fleets wouldn't have had a better chance than this."

"Just a second..." Maria shook her head impatiently. "So you were with them the whole time to investigate all you could about them!"

"It's just like I said... even though I was with the Alliance, I really never was." replied Cliff.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense," Mirage interrupted respectfully. "If you were not really cooperating with the Alliance, then why were you constantly trying to stop us?"

"That's simple. I couldn't just stand there and watch you go by, Shin would have layed a suspicious eye on me. I did hear about a Klausian crew trying to meddle in our affairs while in Kaddan, so I knew you guys were on your way." Cliff said looking as he turned his head towards Mirage. "When I first saw you guys during Kaddan I thought to myself that I could turn the tables there, but even if I did and try to secure the OPA instead, I wouldn't have stood a chance against the large pack of Alliance soldiers let alone Shin. The same thing happened in Vanguard, from there I knew I just couldn't stop sneaking around in the Alliance without having to pay for the cause. Besides, something inside me didn't want you guys to get involved in this... and it wanted me to keep you guys safe from the tragedy. I was hoping you would turn back home and leave the rest to me, but I of all people should have known that's not what you guys are like."

"You could have killed us, you oaf!" Welch yelled mindlessly.

"Settle down, kid. I know what I did may not have been the best decision, but I had no other choice. Of course, I did my best to make sure you guys didn't suffer any drastic injuries." Cliff replied calmly.

"I still think it was foolish of you to take such a big step like that without letting any of us know what you were up to all this time." Mirage said a little angrily.

Maria nodded to the captain's comments, "I couldn't agree any more..."

"Guys... i'm sorry..." Cliff whispered as he hung his head slowly.

The tough and hardened, yet charitable leader of Quark was lost in a mix of emotions. She was rather extremely depressed with what Cliff chose to do, but she knew it was a joyous occasion to have Cliff back with them. The others including Maria and Lieber shared the same feeling. Regardless of what happened in the past, the presence of Cliff could possibly turn the whole situation in Quark's favor in the friction between them and the Alliance.

"Cliff... it doesn't matter what has happened up until now..." Mirage said sitting up straight confidently. "I'm just glad you are safe and fine."

"Yes, this is a big surprise. You certainly had one over us Cliff." Steeg chimed in.

"Looks like we're not going to say goodbye to the good ol' days just yet!" said Lieber cheerfully.

"Come on guys... what are you trying to do? Make me blush!" Cliff laughed.

Maria simply sat in her position with another concern running through her head, "Cliff... do you know what happened to Lancar?"

"I tried contacting him once I got the chance, but there was no response. I don't know what they did with him. I could only pray that he's safe."

"Well, we found Cliff right?" the silent Misty finally spoke. "Then there's no reason we won't find this other gentleman either..."

"That's right, i'm sure we'll find him soon as well." said Marietta hopefully.

"So what's our next plan then?" asked Xeim while crossing his arms.

"Our best chance is to somehow make contact with the Inner Alliance on the planet of Vendeen. It's located in the Vendeen system which is heavily guarded at the moment. And about me... Shin and the others must have already laid their suspicions, so I guess there's no more use of pretending now. I don't think I can say the same for the guys in Vendeeni though." Cliff replied.

"Oh! That's right! I nearly forgot. The Federation is working on breaking through the Vendeen's defense shields currently, Commander Paulin had informed us of it while you guys were on Vanguard." Marieta announced aburptly.

"How do they plan on doing that?" Maria asked. "The Federation has already tried numerous times but failed in all their attempts."

"Let's just head for the Federation's space station for now. We'll figure out the details when we get there." said Mirage as she stood up to stretch her arms.

"Yeah, i'm not done explaining everything I've speculated about the Alliance yet either. I'll finish up once we arrive there." Cliff stated.

Mirage felt like she was in there forever. A lot of things were going through her head as she stepped out of the room. Mirage usually found Cliff to be careless and someone who has to be babysitted at times, but still dependable. But now she was now looking at Cliff with a new level of respect, one higher than she already had. It was most likely because of how he was able to survive from the clutch of the Alliance and how he was able to outwit them... for now atleast. Cliff had just stepped out of the room as the others started to head for the bridge.

"Ahhh, it's great to be back home!" Cliff yawned as he stepped out.

Mirage placed her hands on her waist in a strict fashion as she narrowed her eyes towards him, "You really should get your rest. I don't think you've recovered completely. We don't want you to get careless and take a fall again, now would we?"

"Hah, relax! You're talking about me here. You know I don't go down that easy." Cliff lifted his hand to point at himself while grinning the whole time.

"Yeah," Mirage nodded as she slowly planted a smile on her face. "That's just like you alright."

Maria, meanwhile, decided to take a stroll down the aisle on the lower deck near her quarter reliving her memories back when she was the commander of Diplo. She noticed her room was just like it was four years ago. The three seats near the entrance just across her a table where she used to drink coffee every morning after getting up, the large bunk in the corner of the room beside the computer screen, and the small shrub in the other corner of the room sitting on top of the desk. Maria began to lose herself in her thoughts as she looked around in her room.

"Maria!" a voice jolted her from behind who turned out to be the middle-aged suave gentleman with the nerdy glasses, Steeg.

"Steeg? What brings you here? I thought you were on the bridge..." Maria asked graciously.

"We still haven't taken off yet. Besides, Lieber is up there taking care of it all right now." Steeg replied grabbing his specs and wiping the foggy lens with his pale white coat. "It's funny, isn't it? We thought we'd be free from all the tough times we went through and live our lives normally again. Buuut... here we are, and it's only four years. So long, yet so short."

"It does feel odd to be back out here again after I promised myself long time ago that i'd never got involved in these conflicts again. I wanted to live just like a normal girl..." Maria sighed as they slowly walked into her quarter where she took a seat near her desk, "I figured it would probably keep me from moping around often as well." she chuckled.

"Well, it's like I said earlier... you, for one, seem to have changed quite a bit from the Maria I knew," Steeg mentioned as his eyes were drawn towards many intriguing objects in the room. "You seem more like the normal everyday girl I see back at Klaus."

"..." Maria was silent as if she didn't know how to respond to him.

"Anyway, so how's our little fro-... err Poshus doing?" Steeg asked as he cleared his throat.

Maria stood up and walked towards the corner of the room before kneeling down. "I kept him inside this little aquarium that I found in the hangar," she said as she looked towards Poshus who was constantly jumping up and down as if trying to escape. "Vanguard's humid conditions made it very sick earlier, so I fed him recently before dropping it into the aquarium. It seems to be getting better now that he's full of so much energy. I guess he likes the water more."

"Elopians are rather an interesting species, aren't they? I read a booklet on Edifice once, it's quite fascinating... i've always wanted to have one myself!" Steeg said as he looked at Poshus fascinatingly.

"Yeah..." Maria simply nodded as she spaced out while staring at her little pet. An idea suddenly struck her mind, "Hey, after we go back home why don't you take Poshus home with you!"

"What! Are you serious...?" Steeg shot her a look of confusion. "But he's your pet..."

Maria shook her head gently, "It's alright. I doubt i'd have the time to keep up with him once I get back home. And i'm sure you'd take much better care of him than me. To tell the truth, I hardly know much about pets!"

Steeg laughed slowly before answering, "Well then this is quite a surprise! I'll be glad to take your offer!"

------------------------

The bridge was almost empty. Lieber and Marietta were the only ones of the Quark members who were simply relaxed in their respectful positions waiting for their captain's orders to have the Diplo finally take off.

"Where's the capt'n? Aren't we getting a little late?" asked the youthful Quickdraw Lieber as he slowly tilted his head towards Marietta. "It's not like her to let us sit so idly for such a long time."

"I think she's been so busy talking to a certain close friend she's lost track of the time that has passed by, don't you think?" Marietta giggled.

Lieber shrugged in reply, "Can't blame her. You know how close they are and how long they've known each other... after all, she worried the most about Cliff out of all of us."

"You're right, but isn't it great we're back together like a family once again? First it was Cliff, then Maria, you really had _us_ in for a surprise!" Marietta exclaimed vivaciously.

"It would be if only Lancar was here as well..." Lieber sighed as he slouched in his seat.

Marietta's eyes suddenly widened, "Lieber, that's a first! I thought if there was anyone who was glad to be away from Lancar, it would be you." she laughed.

"Well, yeah... those boring talks whenever he'd booze away always bugged me. Not only that, remember the time he got so drunk he started taking me as his young daughter? Man, I always wished he'd take his drinking seriously sometimes." Lieber said shaking his head. "Still, it just doesn't feel the same without him..."

"I know what you mean... let's just push forward and see what happens. We're bound to find him soon!" Marietta said trying to cheer up her friend.

"Yeah, I hope so too. Thanks, I like your optimistic attitude. You sound a lot like the capt'n when you say that, you know?"

Marietta blushed at his comment as she slowly looked away, "You really think i'm turning out to be just like Mirage? I think that's the first time anyone's ever said something like that to me!"

It wasn't long before Mirage, Cliff, Maria, and Steeg returned to the bridge before the Diplo's departure. Once they were ready to take off, they left the Vanguard system and headed for Federation Station #16 within the Alpha Sector pronto.

"Okay then... setting course for Federation Station #16 immediately!"


	21. The Deadly Dynamite

**Chapter 21**

**The Deadly Dynamite**

While the Pangalactic Federation had complete authority over the Sol System as well as all the other parts of the Theta Sector, its primary bases and stations were what the Alliance often targetted to grab the Federation's attention. Federation Station #5, better known as the Moonbase, was one of the stations the Alliance were currently attempting to overthrow in order to negotiate with the Federation and reach their demands. The Inner Alliance members knew that the possession of one of their bases was not enough for them to consent to their demands, so the Alliance had offered to release the Earthling civilians they had captured who were travelling on the transport ships for tourists on a vacation. And while many of the top federation officers would have worked towards meeting to their demands, General Vaughn, current commander of Station #9, decided to layout a plan to ambush the Alliance team members on the Moonbase instead since it could prove to be a golden oppurtunity for their success. In the process of carrying out the plan, three transport ships were dispatched from the station towards Moonbase. Among the personnel boarded on the transport ships were Fayt Leingod and Albel Nox who were travelling on the transport ship known as the Emerald.

"I don't care what the old timer said, we would have been better off doing this job on our own." said Albel as he started pacing around restlessly in the empty corner of the room filled with other military troopers of the Federation.

"Relax. I know you've grown stronger in the past years and you want to prove your strength in this confrontation... but you should trust the general. General Vaughn has been doing one of the greatest jobs of securing his base ever since it's been rebuilt after it was destroyed by the Executioners." Fayt replied calmly as he stood next to one of the large window frames staring out into space.

"Hmph..." Albel shrugged casually before dropping himself on to one of the available seats. "Then i'd be glad to get this one over with. As long as none of the worms get in our way, i'll live happily." he added. Albel never did get along with any one of the Federation members throughout their whole trip. Fayt, on the other hand, had other things running through his mind too often to be bothered by Albel's complaints.

Fayt turned around to talk to Albel more attentively, "You know we're only doing this to find Sophia... atleast I am. I don't care whether it's us or the Federation who takes care of the Alliance, just as long as we can get Sophia back..." he sighed.

Sophia Esteed, one of Fayt's closest childhood friend, was among the civilians that were travelling on the tourist transport ship which the Alliance hijacked. She insisted Fayt go along with her so they can spend their summer vacation together but Fayt preferred to stay and catch up with his studies on creation forces and quantum mechanics which he figured would give him trouble in the upcoming classes once fall arrives. Ever since the news of the atrocity occured to him, he felt horribly guilty for not being there with Sophia, where he could have protected her. And since then, he swore to find Sophia safely through and bring her back home with him.

"Heh, I guess you're right..." Albel grumbled. "And we don't know what happened to Nel either. I told the silly maggot to stay out of this earlier."

"Hey, we're lucky we barely got away ourselves. The Vendeeni sure weren't any idiots... anyway, don't worry about it. We'll do it. I'll find both of them no matter what it takes." said Fayt with a confident voice.

"You sound just like the military scum," Albel said grumpily.

Fayt slightly chuckled at the comment, "It's no wonder everyone confuses me as a Federation officer when all I really am is just another civilian. I guess we're fortunate that we were an exception in the the general's eyes who allowed us to take part in this mission."

The Emerald was one of the three transport ships that was in the possession of General Vaughn's base along with three other battle-class ships. It didn't hold any particular intriguing history like most of the elite battle-class flagships and it didn't boast a great deal of firepower either but it was equipped with a space-time displacement shield which could absorb nearly any enormous attack of a large magntitude and release it into another dimension negating any effect caused on the transport ship. The Emerald, however, wasn't planned to engage in any type of combat whatsoever during the mission, it was to only transport all personnel that were currently boarded on the ship. The same went for the other two transport ships that were involved in the task.

Suddenly, the interior of the ship staggered from a great deal of impact as the lights slowly flickered. Soldiers began to assemble within the transport ship near the bridge as Fayt and Albel rushed along with them to have a word with the captain of the ship.

"Commander! What's happening!" Fayt shouted towards the captain.

"We're currently within the region of the Moonbase! It looks like we were somehow spotted under their surveillance! Damn it, if we can just hold on for another five minutes..." he replied without looking towards the others.

"We'll be fried by that time!" Albel retorted angrily.

"Sir, there's an incoming transmission! I think it's from the general." the pilot said waiting for his captain's orders.

"Open it up right away." was the reply given by the commander.

It was indeed General Vaughn who was on the comm link, he wanted to check on the current details of the transport ship. After the captain informed him of their situation, Vaughn looked as if he was perspiring from anxiety but he tried not to show it.

"Retreat immediately once all military personnel have been transported. Is that Fayt Leingod next to you there?" he asked as his eyes fell upon the young blue-haired boy on the comm link.

"General, it's me." Fayt interrupted as he took a step forward for Vaughn to get a better vision.

"Fayt, listen..." the general started to speak after clearing his throat. "We still haven't found out what they want, but we have confirmed that Miss Esteed is one of the hostages that the Alliance have kept on Moonbase. It is very doubtful that they will be willing to turn her in though even if we fulfill their demands."

"That isn't a problem! I'll take care of it and find her myself." Fayt replied bravely.

"Very well. One thing you should know... i've heard reports that a particular lethal Inner Alliance Specialist is within their brigade down at the station. Keep your guard safely! Our success relies mainly on you, Fayt... Lead my men to our victory!"

Fayt nodded just before the Emerald withstood another shot of energy blocked by the space-time displacement shield, "Leave it to us..."

The Federation soldiers were lucky there were no transport jammers placed in the southern transporter room of Moonbase. Fayt wondered why the general figured that the Alliance wouldn't be willing to hand over Sophia.

Albel, on the other hand, was ready to take control of things right away. He felt if there was any chance to prove everyone including himself that he really has grown strong, then this was the chance. _'This is the real test!'_ he thought.

"Wait!" Fayt shouted as the others listened to him carefully before moving out. "If they have already started launching their attacks on the ship, that means they know we're here. We're going to have to keep in touch with the other Federation teams as well."

"I guess we'll have to forget about the the ambush, huh?" Albel shook his head in disappointment. "Looks like we're the ones who were ambushed instead!"

"Sir Fayt!" the Federation brigadier shouted as he stepped forward. "What about the hostages they've held? How are we going to ensure their safety? Our first priority is to find the hostages first before getting involved in combat."

"Fool, and just how do you plan to find out where the hostages have been held?" Albel remarked rudely, but bluntly. "It's simple. We just beat the maggots down and interrogate them."

"B-But we can't-..." the brigadier was cut short when Fayt held out his right hand gesturing the Federation soldier to stop.

"Albel is right. We can't run around looking for the hostages. Besides, we won't be able to search every area of this station in time without being spotted by the Alliance's surveillance." replied Fayt. "Let's just follow according to the original plan."

Before Fayt, Albel, and the other Federation soldiers could move out of the room, the sliding door was suddenly smashed open chipping off the corners so much that it widened the entrance. The enemy was here. Two soldiers dressed in white and grey Alliance uniforms and they were accompanied by five auto-mechs. Two battlecopters and three robo-gunners. The soldiers simply kneeled down in their positions directing their disrupter rifles towards their targets.

Fayt and Albel could not find a way out of the ambush at that instant. Just as the thought of dropping their swords came into their minds, the Federation brigade behind them charged towards the enemy as quick as they could.

"Hyaaaaaah!" they shouted simultaneously as they got themselves ahead of Fayt and Albel as if to become meat shields for them.

"Stop! What are you guys doing!" Fayt screamed at the top of his lungs. It was too late, however. Bullets started firing, and the masses of Federation soldiers began to fall rather quickly. The massacre allowed Fayt and Albel to buy enough time to plan out their offense and retaliate against the ambush.

Albel took a few steps forward before leaping into the air. Just when he found himself directly over the hordes of enemies, he thrusted his palm downwards releasing a stream of force, "Aura Wall!" he shouted as an illusionary circular wall filled with glyphs held the enemies into their position constantly sucking their energy and mental capacity. Albel then flipped over and landed on the other side of the enemy troops.

Fayt charged forward before any other of his other comrades were harmed, running past them and jumped into the air with his sword bombarding the battlecopters and the robo-gunners, "Air Raid!" the final explosion of the move malfunctioned the auto-mechs as they dropped to the ground like flies throwing sparks of electricity.

Fayt looked back at the others to see how they were holding out. Five of them had sacrificed their lives in order to escape the ambush. Fayt kneeled down next to one soldier and covered his eyes as he looked down in sympathy, "Let's keep moving... they'll pay for this!" he whispered as he ran forward along with Albel out of the room as the rest of the brigade followed them. They followed along the long hallway outside the transporter room. Not surprisingly, a much larger number of Alliance squads were waiting for them at the center of the Recreational Zone.

"Dammit! Persistent bastards!" Albel yelled furiously. He knew they wouldn't be able to fight this large a number at once.

"There they are!" an Alliance soldier within the enemy's squad shouted once he spotted Fayt.

The trigger of the bullets were once again heard by the Federation soldiers. Fayt tried to avoid being shot as he hid behind the few trees that were present on Moonbase. He was slowly able to sneak past the squad who were trying to take care of the rest of the Federation members including Albel. He tried to rush past into the Auditorium figuring that was where the hostages were kept.

_'Dammit, where's the rest of the team!'_ Fayt wondered before noticing an Alliance member blocking his path near the entrance to the auditorium.

"You're not getting away this time!" the trooper shouted holding his rifle towards Fayt. Noticing his movements, he tried to fire him down with the disrupter gun he was carrying near his belt pocket. He took three shots, but they were all blocked by Fayt's sword just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the shots had an effect on the sword and Fayt saw the last of his blade as it vaporized instantly from the bullets. He dropped the handle of the sword onto the ground and extended his right foot towards the soldier trying to rush past him. The trooper unleashed three more bullets from his rifle but Fayt got away from them in time as he stepped to the soldier's side delivering three hard kicks to his ribcage.

"Sidekick!" Fayt shouted before taking him down. He then snuck into the auditorium without a weapon as he ran past the soldier's body.

Meanwhile, Albel tried to bring himself and the rest of the Federation brigade members to get into the Shopping Center area where they could find a better place to take cover while they wait for the other two Federation brigades to arrive from the other two transport ships that were dispatched.

"Trounce any scum you see on the way!" Albel ordered his fellow teammates as he trudged on towards the left area.

The guns kept firing, soldiers of both sides were lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood. Sparks were flying from the incapacitated robo-gunners and other auto-mechs.

"Air Slash!" Albel screamed as he swung his sword forward unleashing a blazing crescent wave that ran towards the enemy with enormous velocity ripping past the soldiers blocking his path. "Air Slash!" he yelled again to take down the other members of the Alliance squad as he smiled wickedly watching them drop helplessly.

Just when he thought he had taken care of most of the enemies within the Recreational Zone, a few soldiers could be seen leaping from top of the skyscrapers and large infrastructures near the Shopping Center landing on the ground with odd-looking parachutes.

"What! Paratroopers? Damn these worms!" Albel yelled as he punched the ground in anger.

"Sir Albel! You go on ahead into the auditorium with Sir Fayt, me and my troops will take care of the ones here!" the brigadier suggested to Albel as he started firing towards the paratroopers trying to take them down before they were able to land. Albel didn't hesitate to follow his request.

The paratroopers weren't posing much of a threat, so the Federation brigade soldiers were able to take them down slowly with ease. Suddenly, a bullet zipped into the Federation brigadier's right leg out of the blue.

"Graaagh!" he howled in pain as he kneeled down to grab his right leg. He tried his best to get back up but he couldn't lift his right knee from the ground at all. But before he could make another move, another bullet zipped straight towards him hitting him right into the tempo. The brigadier went down at that instant. The rest of the Federation brigade suffered from a similar unfortunate situation that their brigadier had experienced.

Fayt found cover behind a carton of boxes. Although there were no Alliance members present in the room, he knew being open in such a wide area would only lead him to trouble. He had only come all this way again for Sophia, and that was the only thing in his mind. He wondered whether they will be seeing each other again soon.

_'She's here, and now i'm here as well... i'll finally be able to see her again... and take her back with me.'_

He started thinking what Sophia would do once they had finally met. He figured it wouldn't take long before something like that was going to happen... hopefully.

_'She'll probably give me a slap or two.'_ Fayt chuckled at the thought.

Fayt was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice an Alliance trooper sneak up behind him as he touched the end of his rifle on the back of Fayt's neck.

"So you think you can hide, eh?" the soldier said giving Fayt a kick on his right shoulder making him fall down onto the ground.

"Grrr..." Fayt tried to get back up but he noticed that the soldier wasn't going to let him get away so easily.

"Hhhraah!" a loud scream was heard as the soldier who had cornered Fayt suffered two slashes on his back before falling down to the ground to his death. It was Albel.

"Good timing, Albel!" Fayt smiled pleasantly, "Where are the others?" he asked looking around the room.

"They're still back there fending off the rest of the Alliance..." replied Albel solemnly.

"You can forget about them, boys." a deep sincere feminine voice spoke from the same room. "I've already given them the rest of their lives. As for your other two ships you were waiting for, they were blown to bits before they could get anywhere near close to this base. Consider yourself lucky you didn't suffer from the same situation."

A young, tall woman stepped out of the corner of the auditorium eyeing both Fayt and Albel who stood side by side taking a closer look at the lady. She had light brown hair tied in a ponytail with two bangs out in the front, she was dressed differently than the other squad members. She wore a dark grey bodysuit with white stripes and held a handgun in each hand.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Albel clamored as he drew out his sword. There was, however, no reply. "Speak, woman!" The next thing Albel felt was a bullet being zipped past his hand making him drop the sword as he held his hand in pain. "Uggh!"

It was the tall woman who unleashed the bullet from her handgun with quick and unbelievable accuracy.

"You must be the Inner Alliance Specialist the general was talking about..." Fayt muttered as he threw the woman an annoyed look.

"I prefer being called by my name... Nahal. Try not to forget it. You can call me 'the Deadly Dynamite' for short, and I assure you i'll live up to the name." she exclaimed as she kept both her eyes on her opponents, "You must be Fayt Leingod. It's a pleasure to meet a famous hero like you, but let me tell you right now that we don't look at you in the same way as the others do. To tell the truth, I didn't expect you to pay us a visit in such a rude fashion. I was hoping we could settle this in a much more courtly manner. It was foolish of you to think you could trick us with an ambush." she said as she brushed back one of her bangs. Fayt was stunned to see another eye identical to her other two which was hidden behind her bangs. He barely caught a glimpse of it while she brushed her hair.

"A third eye... are you... a Tetragenoit?" Fayt asked astonishingly, "I thought all life on Tetragenesis was obliterated years ago!"

Tetragenoits were the inhabitants of Tetragenesis, the fourth planet of the star Genesis. They once resided in the artificial satellites that surrounded the planet itself which was governed by four noble houses that made decisions for all the Tetregenoits. All the inhabitants, however, met their end when a mass of solar flares crumbled all the satellites and turned Tetragenesis into a dead planet. The notable feature of a Tetragenoit was their third eye on the middle of their forehead, which was also a physical feature of Nahal.

Nahal's eyes widened from surprise, "Well I must say... it does feel good to see there being someone who understands the history of my homeland. Regularly, people would consider me as a grotesque mutant. Yet... it's a shame I can't behave in a friendly manner with the both of you." she said as she held out both her hands equipped with handguns that looked slightly modified.

"So she's a nomad..." Fayt went on.

"I don't care what she is, we're going to mop the floor with her now!" Albel announced cockily.

"Wait!" Fayt held Albel's arm to stop him, he instead demanded to know the answers from Nahal. "Where are the hostages? And what do you want from the Federation?"

Nahal narrowed her eyes down at the two of them... "If you're looking for your dear earthlings, they're not here. They are with the others back in Vendeen."

"What? Don't tell me... you deceived us!" Fayt roared angrily.

Albel picked his sword back up and swung his blade upwards in front of him, "I'm gonna blow you away! Air Slash!" he shouted as a large crescent was released from his sword. Nahal at that point simply raised both her arms which were at an angle from her head and fired bullets rapidly from her handguns. A large chunk of metal that looked like a canister fell from the ceiling onto the ground just a few feet in front of her blocking Albel's move. Tetragenoits made the best gunners out of anyone due to their spatial perception using three eyes, so Fayt was not in for any surprise seeing her being able to avoid such a fast move.

"Fire! Shotgun Blast!" Fayt yelled unleashing four balls of fire that showered down towards Nahal from above. However, she acted quick and took a shot at the thin microscopic pipes on the wall just in front of the stage of the auditorium which sprayed water all around her washing away the balls of fire before they could make contact.

Before Fayt and Albel could try and make another offensive move towards their target, Nahal jumped over the canister and used it as a ledge to jump higher into the air where she could aim towards a gas cylinder with deadly accuracy beside one of the crates near Fayt. The shot triggered an explosion which barely caught the edges of both Fayt and Albel wounding them drastically.

"Auugh!" they fell on the ground instantly unable to stand back up.

"Don't get me wrong..." Nahal shook her head. "I only want you to give a message to the Federation fleets on my behalf. Tell them to move their ships back from the Vendeen system. I'm not going to give away my token easily. Once that is done, i'll return what you want."

Nahal began to walk away as the other two still laid their helplessly, "I've done what I had to with this place. It seems you two value the lives of those civilians I have in my possession so much, right? I request you do as I say then..."

And with that, Nahal retreated out of the auditorium with the rest of her squad in an instant as Fayt saw them with the blink of his eyes, "S-Sophia..."

Albel, on the other hand could not believe he was unable to defeat the single foe right in front of him. _'All the training in the past years... and I still couldn't do anything...'_ he thought to himself before falling completely unconscious.


	22. Juram's Journal Part 1

**Chapter 22**

**Juram's Journal** **-** **Part 1**

The trip was once again smooth and there proved to be no problems in the Diplo's route at all. Everyone was in their positions on the bridge making sure there were no anomalies in their destination this time. The region of the alpha sector where the Federation space station was located was only a small distance of about five light years from the Vanguard System.

"One thing I think you guys should know..." Mirage started to speak after breaking the silence as she turned towards Cliff, "It does feel quite odd to be the commander of this ship with you and Maria around."

Cliff was now second in-command of the Diplo taking over Xeim's position who was gladly willing to give it away. Maria however, was not willing to take a formal position in the crew. She mentioned she was only tagging along, not wanting to get too involved with the military again.

"I can't say I expected to see things this way either. But I guess we're in this together now... Well, that's life for ya. Doesn't matter how things turn out, we'll always end up being with each other again." Cliff said. Mirage could only agree herself, she had never expected to be back with Quark looking out on the beautiful stars through the windshields of the Diplo back at the training hall in the dojo. Then she had never expected to see Cliff, a friend she had known since she was in her mid-teens and whom she had not seen in two years' time, to be on the enemy's side. Cliff's actions and his motivations were also something that came as a shock to Mirage. No matter how bewildering things turned out to be... somehow everything was able to weave together and they all found themselves back on Quark's flagship as if it was all part of fate. Mirage wondered what other surprises awaited her as she trudged forward.

As for Quark, it was originally a Klausian military organization to aid other autonomous organizations and government systems who preferred to stay independent, and not fall in the clutches of the Pangalactic Federation's control. The current situation for Quark was however, ironic for them to be working alongside with the Federation in an attempt to wipe out a colossal terrorist force which was still shrouded with clouds of enigma. Yet another unexpected situation that befell on the crew.

As the questions about the Alliance began to raise more and more, Mirage was concerned about Ascal and the other Vanguardians. Would they be able to handle the rest of the Outer Alliance on their own? Just then she remembered how valiantly Ascal was able to fight during their time on Vanguard and all her suspicions then went away. _'What a student he would have made!'_ Mirage thought as she pictured him training in the dojo to which she gave a small chuckle.

Meanwhile, some things bothered Steeg as he sat in his position uncomfortably while navigating the controls. He wondered why Lieber was the only one of the crew who seemed very silent and nervous around Maria. There was a slight tension between them four years ago, but Steeg felt he should bring up his concern in words.

"How come you haven't gone to see Maria yet? Me and Marietta have already had a chat with her after four long years now, but you on the other hand..." Steeg whispered slowly trying not to disturb Lieber too much.

Lieber stopped playing with the keys in front of him and let out a sigh, "I think it's just better off this way. Just look at her now... she looks really happy and full of life for a change, doesn't she? When she sees my face, those old gloomy sad times probably come back to her and she becomes her old self again. I wouldn't want something like that to happen... it just wouldn't be right..." he hung his head slowly as he replied.

"You're such an imbecile!" Steeg whispered a little louder this time. "How could you think that about our former leader? You know she considers us one of her best friends. And when I mean 'us', I mean _you_ as well. I'm sure she's extremely glad to be able to see all of us again. Stop making silly excuses!"

Lieber felt a pang of stress rushing up inside him as he pondered about it more and more. "I'm just not up to it right now. Just let it go already, Steeg." Of course, Steeg did not say a word after that... he felt he should just leave the situation as it is for now. Lieber on the other hand, started to see light in Steeg's words. _'He's right.'_ Lieber thought, _'She's a very good friend of mine, and she probably feels the same as well. Why the hell am I getting so paranoid about such silly things anyway?'_

------------------------

The guest rooms in the living quarter area were no different than the other quarters including Mirage's. Xeim was shuffling through some papers he had left on his desk in the Diplo's guest quarters. Most of them consisted of notes he kept to remind himself all the instructions Mirage had given him. He spent most of his time training in private by doing different katas over and over again. This time, however, he was searching for something that was very precious to him as he impatiently looked in the drawers beside the large bed.

"Damn... now where did I keep it?" he said to himself as he took a moment to relax. Just then he saw a red binded handbook lying down in the corner of his bunk. He picked it up and brushed the dust of it with his fingers, "Ahh... finally found it." he smirked pleasantly.

Suddenly, he heard voices coming from outside his quarter... it was coming from more than one person and the sound was what turned out to be giggling. He slowly grabbed the handle of his door and opened it with extreme caution. Without looking who it was in front of his door he held his guard and quickly placed his feet in his stylish taijutsu stance.

"Whoaaaaahh!" shouted three girls dressed in Quark's military attire seeing Xeim at the entrance of his room. Xeim noticed them, they were military personnel working on Diplo's maintenance under Quark's second brigadier, Nadia.

"You three? What are you doing outside my room?" Xeim asked a little calmly. He wasn't really as calm as he looked, but he was an expert at hiding his expressions even in the most tense situations.

"Oh uh we're sorry! Haha! We were just taking a stroll down the aisle." the slender girl with long red hair answered while bowing in respect. She was blushing slightly and forced an exaggerated grin on her face.

"..." Xeim adjusted the large scarf covering his chin and half his mouth which he had always kept on at all times except when he's completely in private. He looked at the other two female personnel who were giving the same excuses.

"Just please don't scare us like that next time!" the one with the blonde ponytail said to him. They seemed to have a keen interest in Xeim. Of course, Xeim was youthful with a well-built physique, he figured it were those features what probably attracted them to him. His choice of clothes weren't really anything special, atleast to Xeim. A long pair of sea green khakis, a dark colored half-sleeved sweater, and a larg scarf that went around his neck which reached all the way up to his mouth. He was almost completely covered up. Maybe it was his hazel eyes, which were lighter in color than they had ever seen in anyone else's eyes.

The third military soldier noticed the red book he was carrying in his right hand, "What is it that you're reading? Can I see? I didn't know you were into books." she exclaimed trying to divert the subject and start a new conversation with him.

"O-Oh... this is r-really nothing... sorry but i'll talk to you all later." a startled Xeim quickly shut the door to prevent the conversation from going any further. He leaned back against the door and let out a sigh of relief. It was as if he didn't want them to know that he had ever possessed the book which he was currently holding in his hands.

As he opened the pages, still leaning on the door making sure it was locked, Xeim thought to himself... _'That was close... I haven't done this in a while...'_ He would feel his heartbeat run at a faster rate everytime he held the hard-covered book in his hands. The cover of the book had a title inscripted on it with golden text. It read, 'Juram's Journal'. He had already gone through it many times before, reading through the small handbook had become a constant hobby of his. It was, after all, his favorite method of remniscing the past...

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_Entry #32_

_It was unpleasantly cold today. Then again, what day in Rezerb isn't. As I mentioned earlier, my fingertips were already swollen from a frostbite the other day... today was just as worse. I mean it's not everyday the vice chairman of the Galzan government committee would have to travel on foot, especially in a place like this. But perhaps I shouldn't complain. The recent snowstorm had caused enough disaster to create so much obstruction on the gateway paths including the detours so no transportation could even begin to move in conditions like this. This, of course, meant that everyone else was suffering from the same situation as I was. However, I cannot express my long for the hovering spedmobiles which the government provided for our transportation. Anyway, it looks like i'm going to have to get used to the harsh brumal climate for the time being._

_I can't say the rest of the day had any consolations in store for me after suffering from terrible trips to the main Galzan headquarters and back home. I'll have to thank the President Lias for that. If anyone other than me bothers to read my silly habitual entries in this journal, I must ask you... should a leader amongst leaders have to put up with oppression from other filthy people? How much abuse can he withstand before he starts taking the right actions? I had to put up these concerns in front of Lias as well, and it wasn't the prettiest one. The Uelians are self-centered, despicable bastards. President Lias realizes this as well, and if they're not stopped in time, he and only he is to blame._

_It was indeed a fitting end for a horrible day. I'm sure Lias would atleast agree with me on that one. He asked me how my actions would be different if I was in his position. I think that would be simple but i'll never know until I try. I suppose that is something not within my reach. As much as i'd like the position, I will have to stick to being only second for now._

The author of the journal, Inus Juram, Xeim's father had last written his entry thirty years ago. Xeim remembered this particular day... he of course, did not witness the events himself, but he had heard about them in detail from his mother...

------------------------

Most of Inus Juram's time was spent inside the Galzan headquarters. He would rarely get time to stay in his apartment room or even go outside to have a cup of coffee. Such was of course, expected, of a famous politician who held the position of the vice chairman of the Galzan government committee.

Galza, the country of the central continent which had one of the highest political powers in Rezerb got its name after the central continent known as Galza. Rezerb had three other continents that surrounded the continent of Galza. The southeastern continent was known as Keto, the western continent was known as Uelia, and the northern continent Rz. The only other country that could match the authority of the Galzan committee was the Uelian organization on the continent of Uelia. Rz and Keto were hardly inhabited by the Rezerbians. Rz was mostly inhabitable due to its extreme climate, snowstorms would pass by areas of the continent almost everyday. Keto, on the other hand, was rather poor. This was an issue which the Galzan committee decided to resolve, but the Uelians had a hand in preventing this task from fulfilling. It was then that the Uelians were seen as a terrorizing force on Rezerb.

According to the Pangalactic Federation, Rezerb was widely known as a corrupt terrorizing planet located in the Zeta sector next to the Klausian system. Rezerb had a habit of constantly abusing and torturing its surrounding planets within the sector. This, however, occured only by the Uelian government's order. The Galzan government committee, otherwise known as the GGC, now had another goal set in their minds: to correct everyone's judgement including the Federation about Rezerb's intentions. They did not appreciate the discrimination they received and worked upon erasing it. This could only be done by stopping the Uelians at all costs.

Inus stepped into Galzan President Lias' office to discuss the recent news on the Uelian government's actions...

"President Lias, I understand the situation about our citizens being in danger... but we need a more efficient way of dealing with the Uelian party." Inus spoke softly as he took a seat across from his superior.

"And by 'efficient', you mean we should ignore their threats and break our treaty, right? Then we should eliminate them as soon as possible." the annoyed president replied.

Inus shook his head quickly, "I'm only suggesting that we follow our code and do what we can to eliminate the discrimination against Rezerb which we have to suffer because of the Uelians. And what treaty are we talking about? The one we were coerced to agree upon?" he stated firmly.

"You think it's that easy being a president, huh? Everyone thinks that nowadays. I am the leader of my people, and if I attempt to rebel against Uelia, it will be my citizens who will suffer and I will be held responsible for it! We can sit here and talk about justice for the next twenty four hours but that's not going to change my decision. I'm not going to take any step that my family and my citizens will have to pay for," Lias replied boldly while constantly shaking his fist. "I dare you to try sitting in my seat for once and then see how many people are going to look up to you and rely on you. One small decision of yours will cause hundreds of heads to be cut off every second!"

"As much as i'd like to try that, that's not within my reach sir. I cannot speak any further on this matter for now." Inus replied calmly before getting up from his seat.

Just as he was about to exit the president's office, Lias had something to say which startled him, "Inus... I know what you are trying to say and it's not your fault. But one day, I think you will understand that there are such circumstances which you cannot get around."

The Uelian organization had its eyes layed upon the Galzan committee at all times making sure they don't rebel against the decisions they make. Since both Klaus and Rezerb systems were completely autonomous, the Uelians were believed to be after the authority over all planets within the Zeta sector including Klaus and Rezerb. This was probably the reason Rezerb had rejected the Federation's offer of joining them numerous times. And it wasn't long before Klaus would start getting involved with matters on Rezerb. This, of course, would lead to the tragedy known as the Zeta war.

------------------------

_Entry #34_

_It's true what they say... 'Be careful what you wish for or you just might get it', and I was just in the midst of realizing that earlier today. A week had passed since my last ugly meeting with President Lias. And it would stay like that forever now... ever since the news of his demise had passed on to me in the morning. I was told by the officer that Lias' death was caused by an assassination by a local citizen who was not happy with Lias' decisions as a political leader. It was sad, ugly, and unfortunate... atleast for some. I didn't know what to feel at the time... there was a sullen grief inside me that ate my stomach, but then there was a stream of hope. Now there is a possibility for us to fight against the Uelian organization._

_I wasn't too surprised earlier yesterday when I was elected unanimously to take the position of former President Lias. Perhaps the dare Lias had thrown at me last week was inevitable. Maybe it was destined that I had to see for myself what it was like being a leader amongst millions of people. What decisions I will have to make and how they will affect everyone. I guess I will find all of that out in a matter of a few days._

_"I think you will understand that there are such circumstances which you cannot get around"... those were his last words to me. Now I think to myself, can I really not get around those circumstances? One thing I can say, i've already worked upon breaking the treaty between Galza and Uelia. If this isn't the first step of rebellion, then I don't know what is. Am I little naive to be doing all this? Apparently, Lias would have thought so._

Rezerb was the inhabitable planet with the coldest climate due to the dome surrounding each continent which blocked 90 of the sun's ultraviolet rays, the electromagnetic radiation with short wavelengths invisible to the naked eye. Without these barriers, Rezerb would consist of a climate that was as warm as any other planet in the sector. This, however was not possible due to the unique features of the Rezerbians. Inhabitants of Rezerb cannot stand within the sunlight for an extended period of time otherwise they will suffer from extreme skin damage which could result in their skin and flesh being burnt off their body from exposure. Even with the dome-shaped barriers on Rezerb, the inhabitants were compelled to wear heavy material on their body and a special bodysuit to protect them even from the small bit of the sun's radiation. Some special suits made from extremely rare material were present only in the space stations of Rezerb that could resist damage from the ultraviolet rays even when being fully exposed to sunlight. These special suits were key to Rezerbians' survival on other planets with warmer climates.

Inus was one Rezerbian, who had to constantly battle the weather everytime he left his apartment building. It wasn't just the harsh climate that made the scenery outside look ugly. There were half-demolished stores, apartment buildings chipped horribly, vehicles parked on the most bumpy surfaces, and the ground had a hard frozen rocky surface. Anyone who fell on the ground flat on his face would suffer from a great physical damage, and would most likely need to be stitched immediately. It was impossible for vehicles to function on the ground, so they had to be hovered about two feet above the ground. They were shaped aerodynamically and received the name of hovering spedmobiles. Eventually, snowstorms would cause even a bigger disaster in the cities rendering the vehicles impossible to function even while hovering due to the large amounts of pollution and rocky frozen surfaces that would sometimes rise six feet above the ground.

It was confirmed shortly after Inus took his seat in the president's office for the first time that the assassination of Lias was caused not by the Uelians, but a local citizen of Galza. He often stared out the large window behind his desk thinking to himself that he had gotten the biggest promotion of his life. He could now carry out his ambition to become a successful leader. Whether the promotion was for the good or bad, he was about to find out. His first step was to deal with the Uelians once and for all... in fact, he told himself that the matter took priority over the safety of his citizens. That was the path the former president had not followed and his results didn't hint towards any success.


	23. Juram's Journal Part 2

**Chapter 23**

**Juram's Journal** **-** **Part 2**

Xeim often found his father to be too much driven by his emotions. However, that was one important aspect Xeim had tried to improve on in his life. It was one of the many reasons he liked reading his old man's journal entries many times. Politics wasn't his cup of tea, but Xeim was always keen on exploring his father's intentions and his feelings throughout his professional and personal life. As he turned the pages of the journal, he suppressed all his emotions in one breath trying not to let them take over his mindset.

_Entry #37_

_My goodness! What a trip so far it has been! Klaus is such a beautiful planet, just like the rumors I had heard. The scenery, the people, and the climate. My face did feel a little irritated from the sun at first, but i've managed to get used to it._

_But it looks like Lias was right. As soon as the treaty between Uelia and Galza was terminated, a war broke out. The Uelians who were causing trouble in many areas of the Klausian system became more vicious. So now Klaus has taken the privelege of involving themselves in the war as well! Before matters got worse, I quickly went over to the Galzan space station and took the first transport ship that was leaving for Klaus IV to settle our differences in a civilized fashion. The trip wasn't pretty either. We just barely managed to escape a Klausian battleship! If it were any more powerful, I wouldn't be here writing this right now._

_During my attendance at the conference, I did my best to explain about those Uelian bastards and what they're trying to do with the Zeta sector. To my surprise however, they refused to listen on my defense for Galza and held all of Rezerb responsible for the casualties in Klaus casued by the Uelians. As I left the conference, I knew the Klausian military would be after me but I waited to see what happens. My suspicions were correct when I heard citizens talking about rumors of the military on the prowl for a Rezerbian president. So I made a run for it. I don't know to where, but anywhere out of their sight. Now here I am writing this entry in an isolated town known as Likins near the woods. I suppose i'll stop and take a rest for now before I take my leave back to Rezerb once I find the location of a nearby space station._

Due to Inus' inability to persuade the military and the Klausian government at the conference which was the only chance he was given to explain, the war that broke out in Rezerb turned out to be more hectic than Inus had ever imagined. Galza was for one involved in the confrontation with Klaus and Uelia at the same time. Due to the friction between Uelia and Galza, Klaus seemed to have the upper hand in this major conflict. Klaus was of course, fighting for its autonomy while Uelia struggled to keep its edge over Galza, let alone the Zeta sector.

Inus, who had vanished from the incident, began to raise suspicions in the eyes of the GGC and the citizens of Galza. They feared that their leader had ran away like a coward. A group of Rezerbian military squads began to scout areas of Klaus IV to search for Inus, but of course, the Klausians could not allow them to patrol the area, and this caused more problems between the two.

_Entry #43_

_Days passed and now it had been another week... but I was still safe and sound in Likins unspotted by the military. In fact, during my stay in Likins, a kind, beautiful Klausian lady was nice enough to take care of me. She was one of the very few people who resided in the central part of the town. But soon we heard news that a group of military was headed our way! The Klausian lady who called herself Jina insisted on aiding me into the empty corner of the small town behind the woods where no one would be able to find us. I cannot describe the feeling I had started to develop with Jina, but whatever it was... it didn't want me to be separated from her._

_I had heard about how physically developed Klausians looked, but I had now seen it in Jina. She was the most beautiful person I had ever met. We stayed in a small shack in the isolated corner of the woods all alone, far away from the central part of town. In time, I knew I had to return to Rezerb and aid my citizens where they needed me, but something kept pulling me back. I think it was Jina, suddenly my ambitions of being a successful leader vanished completely everytime I was near her. She wanted me to be with her as well, so I had no choice but to stay. Was it wrong for me not to return? What would everyone back at home be thinking of me right now? My family doesn't even know where I am at the moment._

_I also did not see what Jina saw in me, I am after all repulsively hideous just like every other Rezerbian. But she said she wanted to help me after seeing me become so weak. I fell unconscious once in the woods, and she had to carry me all the way here! She told me that it was my love for her that made her want to stay by my side. And we did indeed make love that night..._

Inus was not aware of his feelings at the time of his stay with Jina. He couldn't allow himself to be separated from her due to a silly war. Jina of course refused to move back to Rezerb with him due to the Zeta war that was still taking place. Their time together would last for years in the rural areas of Likins.

During one night in the shack Inus and Jina had stayed in, they discussed many things about their upcoming first child...

"We'll call him... Hakhim..." Jina spoke softly in the dark.

Everytime Xeim would think about their feelings for each other, he always figured Inus' feelings for Jina were mostly based on lust. Jina, being a Klausian, of course had the figure of a very attractive woman. Klausians were very often noted for their beautiful physique and considering how Xeim had always considered his father to be emotinally driven, his suspicions weren't doubtful at all. After reading through the entry, he recalled a certain incident four years later that would scar his life forever...

------------------------

The Zeta war was over with the Klausians being victorious. Both sides, however, suffered from casualties. Bloodshed from gunfire, explosives, and bare-handed assaults was spread over all regions of Rezerb, especially Uelia. Klaus was successful in keeping its autonomy, while Uelia and Galza were not satisfied with the results. Galza still had ways to go before they could remove the injustice and discrimination that surrounded the planet of Rezerb. Four years later, the GGC military was once again on Klaus IV searching for Inus Juram.

Jina and Inus, were still living their isolated life within the woods by themselves with their child Hakhim who was now exactly four years old. They would visit the central area of the town of Likins every once in a while to stock up on food and other necessities to keep them going. Likins was one of the smallest and poorest town on the planet, it was not developed like the other parts of Klaus, it was still in its stages of development. Seeing this town, anyone could confuse Klaus IV for an underdeveloped planet quite easily. Inus was satisfied living this type of life as long as he was with Jina. Hakhim would often wander into the central area to play with the other kids even when his parents warned him not to.

Not too long after, the Galzan military soldiers had arrived in Likins and the villagers had given the information about Inus' location. This was unfortunate for the Juram family during the confrontation the military had with Inus.

"The military? That uniform! What's Galza doing all the way over here!" Inus asked with utter shock of disbelief as he looked at them with fear in his eyes.

"We've finally found the traitor!" the Rezerbian soldier cursed more and more spewing out his hatred at the former president of the Galzan committee.

It was true that Inus was labelled as a traitor by Galza and was sentenced to be eliminated at sight. Once Jina arrived, she saw her lover being dragged by a group of soldiers outside the shack. She yelled and pleaded, but they would not listen to a word of hers. Hakhim was hiding behind his mother watching the scene in fear and despair. The military had layed him down in the sun after completely stripping him off his equipment and tied him down together with magnetic cuffs.

"Leave those two! We don't have anything to do with them!" shouted the military officer to one of the soldiers after he took down Jina with a single blow rendering her unconscious. Hakhim was still quiet from the horror and he panicked seeing Jina lying on the ground helplessly.

Inus was tied down for hours in the sun suffering the a cruel death no one could have possibly imagined. He kicked and screamed from pain as he felt skin itch intensely from the burns. Hakhim watched all of this as his heart paced faster and faster. Inus Juram had soon met his end when the last of him remained on the small grasslands still under the bright sun's light. The sun had begun to set by now and the military had made their way out of Hakhim's sight.

After grieving over her beloved's death for days and weeks, Jina was able to stay with her only child for not more than a month. She was then sentenced for forbidding the seventh law under the Klaus governmental treaty of claimed rights. She aided and held relations with a Rezerbian terrorist who proved to be a threat to Klaus.

She was executed publically in front of many other Klausians, including her own child Hakhim who once again had to experience the trauma of seeing the death of a close one. After her death, Hakhim was taken away by the Klausians into prison where he was looked at as a mark of Inus and Jina's crimes. However, a demon who was scouting the woods south of Likins broke Xeim from prison and escaped with him. The demon was rather skeptic about the crimes of his mother, Jina, so he took the child with him to Deamonium so Hakhim wouldn't have to suffer from the hands of the Klausian citizens who already had a distaste for both Inus and Jina.

Xeim began to think once again about the horrible events that took place during the past, _'That demon... he called himself Rodrigue. It couldn't be... no! It has to be him.' _ His focus then went towards the demon they had met in Pessoto Forest... _'Where could he have gone? Looks like i'll have to look into this myself... I guess that means I won't be staying with these guys for long...'_

Before he could ponder on, an announcement on the loudspeaker interrupted his chain of thoughts. It was Mirage...

"We've arrived at the Federation space station, guys. Everyone meet in front of the transporter room."

------------------------

The Alliance station known as Bolga which was located in the gamma sector just outside the Vendeen system was known as one of the hideouts for the Alliance. Wakou was just in the process of receiving details of the recent actions of the OA team from a Vendeeni officer.

"There's been a leakage in our confidentiality." the Vendeeni spoke. "We believe the OA team is responsible for this!" he spoke with a tough, solid accent.

"So it seems..."

The Vendeeni waited for his further response but nothing came out, so he went on... "And we've located Shin, he has apparently run off to the Klausian system."

"How disobedient. Klaus... what is he up to now?" Wakou thought aloud as he started pacing back and forth in his room.

"Nothing can be said. Ever since the atrocity that he allowed to occur on Vanguard, it's been like this. They're just falling apart."

Wakou shook his head and smirked before giving the Vendeeni officer a put on the shoulder, "Don't worry, our use for Vanguard is far from over. But we've finally got what we wanted from those filth."

"So it's almost ready..."

On that instant Wakou received a call from one of his subordinates. He picked up his communicator to receive the call.

"Sir Wakou, it's an incoming transmission. It's coming from Lab 2." spoke the soldier on the other end of the line.

Wakou replied firmly, "I'll be right there." he said putting back his communicator in his pocket as he turned towards the Vendeeni to speak further...

"About Shin, I need to have a word with Rudra about that. Make sure you send him in later."

"I'll make sure of that."

At the conference room of the station, Wakou requested to open up the comm link to see who it was. It was Svenh, the Vendeeni in charge of the main labs on the planet.

"Svenh, it is good to see you again. What's going on now?" Wakou smiled with a gleam in his eyes.

Svenh responded bluntly, "Not much news on the progress yet, but we have some news about Nahal..."

"I see, so it's about her again. Wondered off has she again?" Wakou shook his head in disappointment.

There was a slight pause before Svenh replied, "I'm afraid so."

"sigh..."

"She left a message asking what should be done about the hostages? She says she plans to use them as bait." said Svenh.

"Ah, those. Doesn't one of them hold the power of connection in her genes? Make sure Nahal doesn't get a hold of that one. The rest is for her to do as she pleases."

"Understood."

------------------------

Marietta was sitting in her seat on the bridge in front of the navigation control panel taking a moment to rest as the others took their time to assemble near the transporter room. She was beginning to feel stiff from sitting in that one seat for such a long duration so she walked out into the upper deck and took a seat on the first bench she spotted. Just when she thought she was about to doze off, Welch came and sat beside her slowly which caused Marietta to wake up with a jolt.

"Hi. Oh, sorry about that." Welch said kindly as she stretched her legs forward while sitting.

"Hey Welch... no it's alright. Being a navigator is just not an easy job." replied Marietta gravely.

Welch nodded as she placed her on the front edge of the steel bench, "Yeah, whatever a navigator is. I used to think my job influenced everyone in the world back at home. Boy, how wrong I was. But I wonder, if there will ever be a famous guild established for the whole universe... now how exciting that would be!"

"Guilds? What type of guilds are you talking about?" Marietta asked with curiousity.

"Oh sorry, nevermind. I was just rambling on again. By the way, what I really wanted to talk about is... just so you know... there really going on between Lieber and me. That was all only part of a joke... He's just fun to tease!" Welch giggled.

Marietta's eyes widened for a second, "So wait, Is that what this is all about?" she said raising an eyebrow. "Y-You're mistaken. Me and Lieber are nothing like you're thinking. Although it is true I had started to develop feelings for him... but it's like I always told myself, you can't keep fighting for a lost cause. I've already gotten used to it and set new goals in my life."

"Wow, Lieber could learn a lesson or two from you. All I ever see him doing is mope around nervously ever since Maria has been with us." said Welch.

"I really hope he gets used to it as well." Marietta replied just as she suddenly remembered something, "Oh! Everyone must be waiting near the transporter room by now. Let's head over before the captain gets mad at us."

Once Cliff, Lieber, Maria, Xeim, Misty, Welch, Steeg, and Marietta had assembled in front of the transporter room of the Diplo, Mirage was ready to announce Quark's intentions.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get to the point. We've received transmissions earlier stating that both General Reed and Commander Paulin are present at the Federation base. So I don't want to see any clumsy acts or misbehavior going on in there." Mirage stated boldly.

"Hey, we're not in pre-school you know..." Lieber exclaimed as he strapped his rifle around his uniform.

Mirage shook her head, "It's hard to tell with you guys, really."

"Well since I won't get a chance to say something like this for a while, allow me to express my admiration for the beautiful women we've got onboard in our crew, it makes for one really hot group wouldn't you say?" Cliff interrupted as he looked towards Mirage, Misty, Welch, and Marietta one by one.

Mirage smiled back at Cliff sincerely in a sedate manner "Well Cliff... I must thank you then for proving my point."


	24. Dividing Universes

**Chapter 24**

**Dividing Universes**

Federation Station #16 was one of the few space stations in possession of the Pangalactic Federation that survived the disaster caused by the Executioners. General Reed was the commander of this famous Federation base which acted as one of its primary bases. He was often compared to the likes of Commodore Wittcomb for his popularity and devotion to the military but Wittcomb's sacrifice was the one event which will be remembered for all of the Pangalactic Federation's lifespan.

"Well, it seems like you all have had quite a trip... it's been a long time since i've heard from Quark." Paulin exclaimed as he looked at every one of them happily since they were safe and sound.

The station's conference room was significantly larger than the one Mirage had seen earlier in the remote station and as well as the one in the Diplo. The facilities within the station were also much more elegant. The base, in general, seemed to be much more lively and busy than the others she had visited.

"And I see both Cliff Fittir and Maria Traydor are here as well." Reed responded while keeping a suspicious eye on Cliff. "Although I had heard you were involved with matters on behalf of the Alliance. What happened there?"

Cliff and the rest of the Quark crew did their best to explain on behalf of Cliff and what his intentions were during the confrontation with the Outer Alliance on Elicoor and Vanguard.

"I see... in any case, whatever happened has happened." Reed spoke in a firm manner. "Cliff... what were you able to find out about the Alliance? We need to know everything we can about them."

Cliff shrugged slightly, "Can't say if I was able to find out everything I could about them since I could only get as far as the boundaries of the Outer Alliance team, but all of these events seem to have relevance with 4D..."

Everyone looked at him in utter shock after hearing the word '4D'. The Fourth Dimensional space otherwise known as 4D, was a universe for 4D beings who were the ones who originally created the universe Mirage and co. live in which is known as the Eternal Sphere. Due to a major conflict four years ago, a war resulted in the 4D universe losing any connection they had with the Eternal Sphere.

"4D!" Paulin gave Cliff a look as if to make sure he wasn't joking. "Weren't the 4D beings taken care of four years ago? How could they have come back here into our universe?"

Cliff shook his head calmly, "No, that's not what I meant. After the downfall of Luther, the Creator, people within our universe were able to live their lives peacefully again."

"Everyone started their lives all over again and made their own choices by themselves, and soon it came to be known as the new era." Mirage added.

"Yeah, I can still recall the events exactly how they turned out to be. Ever since, the 4D beings were never seen again or heard of. Supposedly, whatever connection this universe had with the 4D universe had vanished ever since." said Maria with a serious expression.

"True. But there were others who weren't so happy with the events. The Vendeeni, who feared the 4D beings, did not feel that their existence was justified without being under supervision of the 4D universe. They could not go on to believe that the Eternal Sphere could still actually exist after what had been done." Cliff went on, "And that's why the Alliance was formed. They are looking for a way to absolve themselves and repent for the sins they allowed to happen four years back."

"So what is going against the Pangalactic Federation going to do for them?" General Reed asked angrily. The more he heard about the Alliance, the more he grew to despise them.

"That I don't know... but they act like some kind of cosmopolitan organisms." Cliff said as he hung his head slowly.

"Cliff, do you atleast know what the Outer Alliance team planned to do with the Sacred Orb and the spirit stones?" asked Mirage as each word of Cliff started to make more and more sense to her.

"Oh, right. That brings me to the other point. Most of these rare materials were so scarce that originally there were only one of its kind. That's why we were forced to interfere with the underdeveloped planets since they didn't exist in any other areas outside the particular planet."

"And what could they possibly use them for?" asked Xeim.

"Not much I can tell you on that, but the Outer Alliance bases were mainly located on Vanguard to extract ingredients which the Vanguardians call 'Fenrir Crystals'. Fragments of these substances were used in Vendeen to generate a much more powerful art known as synchronology." Cliff replied in a confident style.

"Synchronology? Is that what's behind the black art...? The Alliance were known for their powerful technological capabilities... which even surpassed the Vendeeni's." said Steeg in an intricate manner.

"Basically, synchronology is the science that deals with arts that involve many other arts combined together including symbology and alchemy that occur all at once. Thus, all these arts are synchronized at once. The synchronizing effect is the result of the methods, calculations, and equations developed by the Alliance team which we refer to as the 'Black Art'. The fenrir crystals are what supposedly cause the synchronizing effect, meaning... it's what causes everything to occur all at once." Cliff indulged everyone in the group.

"Alchemy? No wonder what I saw in Kaddan looked familiar." Misty replied as she placed a finger on her lip.

"And that isn't all..." Cliff went on as everyone looked at him curiously. "The Alliance's main purpose of using synchronology is not to boast its power or terrorize the Federation and other planets, but they are attempting to forge this art with living beings to fulfill their goal."

General Reed replied immediately, "I wonder how they plan on doing that..."

"The physical form of this powerful art are known as synchronic cells, which are used mainly to enhance any Alliance technology. These cells have been experimented with human bodies but there's been no result as of yet. But these guys keep trying to seek for methods to find the relation between the basic components of the human body and the synchronic cells."

"Seems like you managed to find out a lot about these people..." Lieber said while proudly looking at Cliff.

"Did they do anything to you as well, Cliff?" asked Mirage to which Cliff nodded.

"Yup, I suppose it was that which made them think I was under their control. My body wasn't able to use the power of synchronology by itself, it was the specific belt strapped around me that I was given to by Shin. Of course, it's all busted up and useless now." Cliff stood up and took of his vest before rolling up his white shirt revealing scars on his body.

Mirage was able to recognize these scars. They ran down both sides of his rib cage and another scar ran across his abdomen as if to connect the other two scars. They were created when Mirage busted the belt's mechanism during their fight at the Outer Alliance base on Vanguard.

"Looks painful!" Steeg exclaimed.

Cliff put his vest back on before sitting down in his seat, "Anyway, the other synchronic experiments were still failures, i'm not really sure how keen they are on their chances of success, but they seem to be pretty devotional. I remember during the time I was taken to Vendeen that they were constantly trying to specify the correct DNA structures which the synchronic cells would recognize. Most of the trials that resulted in failure were able to forge themselves with these types of cells but they usually ended up dying immediately from a loss of blood."

"Using lives to create some kind of a biological weapon? That's absurd!" Commander Paulin blurted out, "We need to stop them at once!" he demanded. Everyone could see a nerve bulge out on his neck as he spoke furiously.

"I'm not sure if I was able to absorb all of that at once, but thanks for the enlightenment Cliff." said General Reed.

"Not a problem..." Cliff nodded.

"What we need to do right now is to stop the Inner Alliance on Vendeen before they take any further drastic steps." General Reed suggested as he stood up from his seat. "I think we've previously informed you about our battleships which are in the process of infiltrating the Vendeen system."

Marietta nodded to his words, "Yes... Commander Paulin informed us of this plan previously. But how do you plan on breaking through Vendeen's barrier?"

"My concerns aren't any different," Maria added bluntly. "With all due respect, even if every Federation base were to launch their flagship, they just wouldn't be any match when dealing with powerhouses like the Vendeeni and the Alliance."

"I understand. But we've noticed the lack of security in the rear section of their barriers and I assure you our plan isn't something they can just cough at. Even if our battleships do suffer a loss, they won't go down so easily without being able to create a large distraction for our other battleships to join in." General Reed informed optimistically.

"What do you plan on doing after that?" a curious Xeim questioned.

"We'll launch an attack on Vendeen. Although i'm not really sure if we'll be able to succeed in our attack or not, it's our best chance on ambushing them." Reed answered.

Commander Paulin added, "Speaking of ambushes... General Vaughn was unable to succeed in his ambush against the Alliance squad that had overthrown Moonbase."

"Well I wasn't really expecting much from Vaughn's plans anyway," Reed replied sedately showing his bitterness once again towards General Vaughn.

"Still, with Fayt Leingod commanding Vaughn's team, one would have thought our victory would have been achieved easily." Paulin sighed.

"What! So Fayt's involved in this as well..." Cliff stated surprisingly. "Didn't think he would stick his nose in these matters as well."

"Clair Lasbard had informed me earlier about Fayt's involvement with the Federation and the Alliance." Mirage informed Cliff.

"According to the information General Vaughn provided us, Fayt is currently in search of Sophia Esteed. Apparently she was taken in by one of the Inner Alliance Specialists during her flight on a tourist transport ship that was launched from Earth a few months ago." said Paulin.

Cliff nodded as if he understood what that meant, "That explains it. Fayt will take any measures to protect those who are close to him, and Sophia is as close to him as she can get... I don't mean literally of course."

"Fayt..." Maria pondered for a while as she turned towards Reed. "Yeah, I heard about him from you earlier that he was on the lookout for Sophia, I just pray that both of them are safe. They're one of the few people i've managed to relate to... maybe it's because of my..." she shook her head before completing the sentence as if to drop the subject.

"Cliff? Commander Paulin? Who are these Inner Alliance Specialists you mentioned about?" asked Steeg.

"The Inner Alliance Specialists are sometimes known as the Specialists for short. They have been spotted on many occassions and so far it seems like they are a group of dangerous assassins from the Inner Alliance team. That's all we've known about them." Paulin mentioned as he looked towards Cliff to bring more light into his description.

"From what i've heard, there are five Specialists of the Alliance who not only supervise the work of the Outer Alliance, but I suspect they are what control everything that goes on within the organization. They won't hesitate to involve themselves with the dirty work of murdering either. One of them is known as Wakou, who is the leader of the Specialists." Cliff added.

"So if Wakou is the leader of this group which has full authority over the Alliance... that makes him the cause of everything behind the Alliance, doesn't it?" Maria spoke as she sat cross-legged.

Cliff nodded boldly, "Yeah, the head honcho. That's what I suspect as well. Shin once mentioned Wakou's very taciturn when it comes to dealing with matters outside of the Alliance, so he's really never been seen publically ever since the Alliance was formed. He travels in the most elegant battleships so we have no chance of getting to him that way either. Apparently, it seemed like Shin wasn't really too fond of Wakou."

"Wakou..." Misty thought she had heard the name before, but nothing came to mind.

"General Reed..." Cliff cleared his throat as he began to speak further. "I hope you won't mind, but I propose a slightly different strategy of ambushing the Inner Alliance."

"What do you suggest then?" asked General Reed.

"Well, for one I know the place quite well. Heh, the location of all the main labs are like reading alphabets to me. Not only that, but I don't think the Alliance have raised any suspicions on me yet... so I can still get in there without being attacked. I'm sure i'll have a better chance of getting in there than any of your units." Cliff said cunningly as he smacked both his fists together.

"He does have a point, General." Commander Paulin consented with Cliff's suggestion.

"Right. So just leave it to me. We still have stuff to learn about these guys. So i'll try to get everything I can about what they're trying to do with their synchronological experiments and how they are connected with the 4D universe. Make sure ya don't have any units launch an attack in that time, or else it'll just cause an unnecessary ruckus." Cliff advised.

"Very well then," General Reed nodded gladly. "Once we've successfully breeched through the Vendeen System's barrier, the rest of our hopes will rely on you Cliff. Our relationships hasn't been the best one in the past, but we're going to work together this time!"

"Yeah, it's like an Alliance of our own!" Lieber replied amusingly.

Before the ongoing conversation could go any further, an officer dressed in a Federation uniform barged into the conference room looking like he had some very urgent news for the group.

"General Reed! We've just received news from General Reginald that the Outer Alliance team has moved towards the Klausian system and are currently on their way towards Klaus IV!" the officer yelled a little rudely.

"What! Klaus! As much as I hate to say it, if it's from Reginald then it must be serious." Paulin looked at him in disbelief.

"Wha...!" Welch suddenly raised her head which was lowered during the whole conference meeting as if she was half-asleep. Knowing her, she was probably asleep throughout the whole meeting... or else she wouldn't have normally been so quiet the whole time.

"Damn! It must be Shin!" Cliff smacked his fist on the large table ahead of where he was seated. "What the hell is he up to now?"

"Settle down, these matters will be taken care of by our units. Let's concentrate on Vendeen for now." General Reed replied calmly.

"Easy for you to say!" Lieber replied looking just as shocked as the others. "Our families are there... we're going to have to go there right now and stop them as soon as possible!"

Mirage stood up slowly before speaking to Reed politely, "I'm sorry, General but I have to agree. For us, this takes priority over all the other tasks. And we will be taking care of this ourselves, this matter concerns us most."

"Don't worry," Reed replied. "Fine then, we'll take care of things on Vendeen for now. Our battleships are still in the midst of fulfilling their respective tasks. Meanwhile, you all should go and take care of the Alliance filth. I pray for your victory!"

"Thank you, general." everyone chimed in to show their gratitude towards the famous General Reed.

There wasn't a single moment to waste. Mirage stepped into the transporter of the space station while thinking to herself, _'What is the Alliance planning to do with Klaus now?'_ Her eyes suddenly flashed as she started reminiscing the time when she was a student back at the dojo and her mentor, Dan Koas. This time Shin will have to be stopped. She knew it was a mistake for them to let him escape on Vanguard, but her thoughts were constantly on the same words that kept ringing in her head... _'Father... please be safe.'_


	25. Anguish

**Chapter 25**

**Anguish**

Distressing was one thing the Quark crew could not get over. Throughout their trip towards the Klausian system, they did their best to comfort each other while still keeping their minds on their task. Marietta, for one, was unable to escape from the tense situation...

"Lazeria, Trena, Roukin, Wraitn... all will suffer from casualties if we don't hurry. And we all know just what the Alliance is capable of." Marietta spoke in a lowered voice.

"I'm not any less worried, but if you let yourself get so weak from fretting over things that you don't want to see happen you're only going to make situations worse. And you'll end up seeing most of those events occur... so let's not jump to conclusions and just do what we can to stop them." Mirage replied in her usual calm and collected manner.

Marietta just barely managed to cheer up as she felt her heart rise back up with energy from Mirage's influence, "I guess you're right, captain. You know... my older brother, Fred, was always an obnoxious and stubborn person who would often treat me with disrespect. And since my parents passed away at an early age, I really had no one to look up to during my life."

"That's until Mirage came along, right?" Steeg asked wisely.

Marietta smiled and replied, "Hehe, right!"

Mirage was slightly flattered by her comment, "I just do what I can to help..." she said as she tilted her head towards her shoulder in an feminine way. "You know i've always suggested you to sign up as a full-fledged student at Jingu."

"You know, maybe I should start taking that advice a little more seriously once we're done dealing with this mishap." Marietta chuckled back.

------------------------

Klaus IV, class M, the fourth planet of the Klausian system was under heavy security at Quark's arrival. This could possibly have hinted that the Alliance had already gotten here before them. Mirage told everyone to meet at the bridge immediately for an announcement.

"So what's going on?" Cliff asked Mirage.

"Looks like we couldn't catch up to them. I've received reports that Klaus IV is already under attack and the other Klausians are trying to take care of them right now, I doubt they'll last for long since we're up against the Alliance here. We still don't know what they're after yet." Mirage replied.

Xeim nodded as he slowly began to walk away, "We better hurry then before something drastic happens..."

Mirage whipped out her communicator to send a transmission to one of Quark's most reliable members. "Clark!" she called, "We're going to head down to Klaus IV now at the Lazeria space station. I want you to get all combat personnel ready with equipment level A. This is urgent."

"Leave it to me, i'll get them all prepared in no time!" he replied with a stiff voice.

"Thanks..."

Once everyone had gathered near the transporter room, the teams had by then already arrived. There were about ten or twelve in total that formed a number of squads, but they could only transport six at a time.

"We have Squad A, B, and C along with the support team all ready captain!" Clark announced to which Mirage nodded in confirmation.

Marietta stepped forward to hold Mirage's hand in her palm from affection before speaking softly, "I know you're all worried about your homes and your families, but make sure you don't get so carried away and forget to take care of yourselves while trying to protect them."

"Marietta..." Maria did her best to console her friend. "I promise we'll be back safely after we take care of all the matters here. Don't worry about us."

Afterwards, Mirage and the rest of the squad teams arrived to the space station on Lazeria which was by now packed with many people that consisted of Klausians and a few other similar races. They were mostly citizens of Lazeria being taken away to the evacuation shelters near the boundaries of the planet.

"Everyone has already begun to evacuate." Lieber noted in a slightly depressed tone as he glanced over the evacuation facility which consisted of many Klausians in a rush with a panicked expression planted on all their faces. The children were being evacuated first who had tears running down their cheeks from fear.

Cliff crossed his arms slowly, "Well we know now that Lazeria is in a pretty bad shape. I can just imagine what the other areas might be like." he stated and everyone nodded as they wondered how long the Alliance has been here. Just then, there was an announcement being made at the station...

_"Your attention please... due to the unexpected large number of evacuating citizens and guests on Klaus IV, the emergency transporter will be unable to transport everyone directly to the shelter immediately. We will instead set a course to evacuate everyone onto the second floor where a transport jammer will be activated after everyone's arrival. There, a transporter awaits which will lead everyone into the emergency shelters. Due to this inconvenience, we request everyone to move in a hasty and organized manner."_

The announcement was repeated twice to make sure everyone was informed.

"This looks bad... let's hurry!" exclaimed Mirage as she paced quickly past the evacuation facility in the station with the rest of the group where she layed her eyes on couple of soldiers from the local military.

"Stop!" one of the security officers said holding out his hand to gesture them, "All citizens are required to move into the evacuation facility immediately. It is extremely dangerous out there."

"You're mistaken, i'm Mirage Koas, commander of the military organization Quark. Our troops are here to help protect everyone within Klaus." Mirage informed him.

"Oh, Quark! Well, then this is good news. Most of the cities are in poor shape right now... if we aren't able to eliminate the Alliance in time, who knows what'll happen here?" the other officer stated worriedly.

"Can you give us a briefing on the situation?" Maria asked bluntly.

"Lazeria is in heaps of trouble as you may have noticed, but we're concentrating so much on rescuing as many citizens as possible that we're not getting time to plan out a logical offense. The other major cities are suffering from the same dilemma. But if you lend us a hand, you could possibly do the offensive part of the job for us so we can get rid of them quicker."

"Just leave it to us..." Xeim responded. "You must concentrate simply on your task and in the meanwhile, we'll take care of the Alliance."

The security officer thanked them before speaking once again, "Then we're counting on you. I'll inform the rest of the troops about Quark's arrival until then. We have pretty much secured Roukin, Wraitn, and the eastern cities. They are out of danger. Although the same cannot be said about Lazeria and Trena."

"Alright then, so any ideas Mirage?" Cliff asked as Mirage turned back towards the others waiting for her answer.

"I always thought you were full of them, Cliff." she cracked back wisely.

"Yeah, well i'm all out right now. Besides, I had a hunch you would have one anyway."

Mirage smirked to which she gave back a serious answer, "Fine then. We'll need to split up and scout out both cities. Lazeria is obviously a much larger city so logically, we'll need more people to stay here. Lieber and Maria, i'll need you to head over to the northern section of this city with the first squad team. Xeim, Welch, and Misty... i'll need you together once again to take care of the southern counterparts of Lazeria along with the other rest of the team. Meanwhile, i'll head over to Trena. I'm suspecting Shin is definitely involved in this as well, our task is to take him down this time as soon as we spot him!"

"Wait, Mirage..." Cliff stepped forward boldly towards Mirage. "I'll go with you."

Mirage not having any objections ordered everyone in the group, "Alright, Cliff. Now that we're all set... let's all spread out to our respective sections!"

------------------------

Lieber and Maria needed to take the local train towards Lazeria along with the squad. The train was empty at present, they headed towards the train station and boarded the first train heading for the downtown area of Lazeria located in the northern section.

"Wow, i'm actually surprised they're functional... considering how empty it is." Maria noted as she stepped into the open door. However, before the train started to move, she noticed two people dressed similarly in the distance who noticed both Maria and Lieber step onto the train.

"Stay right there!" it turned out to be a couple of Alliance soldiers. They held out their disrupter rifles in a steady position as they began advancing towards Maria. Maria, in turn, dropped her handgun and raised both her arms calmly without panicking.

"YOU! You must be with that worthless Federation! You're alw-..!" both were cut short before the Alliance soldier could speak any further. It was Lieber. He managed to take them down with his rifle from behind as he zapped them with thunderous bullets.

"Thanks, Lieber." Maria smiled as she began to walk forward to see if there were any other Alliance members onboard. But the only soldiers present were those from Quark.

"...No problem." Lieber said as he simply stood there still holding his rifle intensely.

Train rides were beautiful in Klaus IV. Mostly because of how they travelled between large domes known as the atmospheric shields which wrapped around cities. Lazeria had its own atmospheric shield since it was such a large city. Usually there are areas within each large city such as Lazeria where inhabitants could go to the highest point of the dome which made great tourist sites. The view looked extremely beautiful especially during the night. Outside of the domes were nothing but large bodies of water and guideways for the trains to function on when travelling between cities.

The trains functioned using the technology of magnetic levitation. These type of trains are a famous method of local transportation not only in Klaus, but in many other developed planets. They float over a guideway using the basic principles of magnets and make use of electromagnetic propulsion to accelerate. It is most famously known as maglev trains.

The interior of the maglev train wasn't any less fancy either. Once the path was clear, Lieber and Maria took a seat in the front section where the the seats were plated with a hard metal to give it a more durable surface. There were small cushions filled with a mass of padding on top of the rough steel-like material.

"It's been a while since i've been here..." Maria said with a slight relief as she plopped onto one of the seats.

"Say Maria?" Lieber turned towards her as a concern rose in his mind. "So what have you been doing all these past years? I mean you've changed quite a bit... your dress... your attitude... and Poshus all hint towards that. You must've been through a lot in these four years, huh?"

As the train trudged forward smoothly, Maria felt the wind blow from the open windows as she thought about Lieber's words, "Oh I actually managed to get the hang of the life in Edifice. I took up a college course and the people were really friendly there."

"I myself would have liked to visit Edifice once. Steeg used to tell me a lot about it from what he's read." said Lieber.

"Probably. I know I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay there too long when I first arrived but once you get used to the place, it's easy becoming a part of that world."

For such a happy statement, Maria sure looked quite hesitant and upset. Lieber noticed this and decided not to speak any further on the matter, "I see..."

"Oh look! We're in downtown already... come on, let's hurry out." Maria exclaimed suddenly as the train made an abrupt stop.

"Yeah..." Lieber replied unenthusiastically before following Maria.

------------------------

Trena had many tropical regions that consisted of numerous wild species which generally didn't pose much of a threat to a Klausian. As Mirage and Cliff stepped off the train, they could see the vast amount of trees extended in all four directions like they were surrounded by a forested region. The locality reminded Mirage a lot of the Vanguardian continent Gernn this time as she stepped down onto the ground. They would be quite similar if it weren't for the transporters on the edge of the field that extended up until the beginning of the forest.

"Don't worry about the old man, Mirage... I'm sure he'll take care of himself if he falls under any trouble." Cliff said comfortingly as they walked towards the transporter up ahead.

"Thanks, but i'm okay. I just hope the others are holding out okay..." Mirage replied as she looked up at the vast blue sky. It was a little chilly for a change, the wind was blowing vigorously as well.

An employee of Trena's space station stood beside one of the transporters and greeted both Mirage and Cliff at their arrival.

"Greetings Miss Koas," she said looking awfully calm considering the situation. "Welcome back to Trena. Where would you like me to direct the transporter to? Trena's space station?"

"No... I need to head home immediately." a blunt response came from the female Klausian.

"Very well... I shall then direct the transporter towards the residential area of Toutoi immediately."

Trena was a large city, and quite peaceful at that... especially the residential area. It was a lot less tropical than the area near the train station, but everything seemed to look intact which started to raise Mirage's suspicions a little bit.

"There seems to be no signs of the Alliance at all. And the way the employee spoke... she didn't mention anything about them either. Did they really even get this far?" she asked with a little bit of hope in her heart as she started to pace past the large fields towards the Koas residence.

"Right now i'm wondering what the old man will think of me for not being there when he wanted me to take over the dojo for him. I haven't seen him in a long time..." Cliff said. A lot of concerns other than the Alliance ran through his head at the same time. He was also worried about what Shin was up to and what he would do if he found Cliff.

"Well, he did seem pretty mad..." Mirage teased Cliff seeing him shudder a little from the fear of her father. "But don't worry... i'm sure he feels the four years have gone by a lot quicker than it would have if you were at the dojo."

"Ugh hey... that's cruel, y'know...?" Cliff replied amusingly.

Suddenly Mirage's eyes widened as she layed her eyes at a far away distance, "Look! Over there!" she shouted after locating a cloud of smoke emitting from a small building next to a lake about a hundred metres across from her.

"W-Wait... isn't that...!" Cliff stuttered, the building looked oddly familiar to him.

"Yes... it's the dojo!"

Mirage and Cliff rushed past the open field which led towards another opening in between the large trees up ahead and snuck in through as they reached just outside the dojo. The school had been half blown to bits as fire trailed on the edges of the building. The board which was on top of the entrance that read 'JINGU SCHOOL OF TAIJUTSU' had also fallen down to the ground chiped and cracked from the middle. There was a pool of blood just about everywhere surrounding the dojo, Mirage noticed the students that were lying in the pool of blood.

"Helen! Tiisho!" she screamed as she ran to their aid quickly. _'Good! They're still alive!' _Mirage thought to herself as she kneeled down and checked their pulse beat.

"S-Sensei... ugh..." Tiisho, the short pupil, began to speak.

"Don't try to speak. Save your strength!" Cliff ordered as he looked down at them compassionately.

Tiisho simply shook his head slowly, "It's okay. I-I'm sorry... we c-couldn't do anything against them... all the t-training didn-.. ugh!... didn't help us..."

"Don't say that! That isn't true. You've done more than I thought you all could... you fought... and that's more than enough for me." replied Mirage.

"So the Federation's finally here..." Three alliance military officers appeared in an instant just behind the dojo. One of them was holding the body of another student and pushed him away causing the young student to fall to the ground lifelessly.

"No..." Mirage tried to reach to the student's aid but the soldiers stopped her as they held their weapons firmly. Besides, the student was shot in the tempo... this one couldn't possibly have a chance to be saved.

"What the hell do you guys want from this place anyway!" Cliff yelled from behind Mirage.

The three soldiers suddenly held down their disrupter guns looking towards Cliff confusingly, "Cliff? What are you doing here? Weren't you killed in Vanguard?"

"My, well you all certainly have saved me the trouble!" a voice hit Mirage from behind as she quickly turned herself to find none other than Shin who stood in his place firmly as he chuckled. "And Cliff! What a surprise!"

"Shin! What are you doing!" Cliff demanded to know answers from him right away.

"Shut up, you traitor!" Shin roared back while swinging his halberd in the air furiously. "You idiots fell into a trap. I was wondering how Quark and you vanished at the same time back there, so I came here and I knew you all would come running like rats! Hah!"

Cliff seemed reluctant to give Shin a formal explanation, "Did you actually think I was gonna buy all your little talks about your deal?"

"Grrr...!"

"So you went through all of this just to set up a trap for us!" Mirage asked furiously.

Shin nodded, "That's correct! It's payback time for what happened on Vanguard. I won't go easy on you this time! Get them!" he commanded his troops immediately.

"FISTS OF FURY!" Cliff yelled belligerently rapidly swinging both his fists in a jab-motion with enormous speed as he stood in front of Shin. Each strike from his fist caused Shin to wince in pain.

Mirage in the meantime darted towards the soldier who were ready to shoot her just that instant with their guns. However, she rolled underneath them just in time as she coiled in and swept of the soldier in front off his feet. Before the enemy beside him could turn and retaliate, Mirage caught him in a necklock and disarmed him of his weapon.

"Hiyaaa!" she yelled and obliterated him with a sidekick to the jaw followed by a roundhouse kick which sent him flying away. The third Alliance soldier tried to get back onto his feet but Mirage took him down with the disrupter rifle in her hands. Once Shin's troops were taken care of easily by Mirage, she made her way towards the other side of the half demolished dojo where Shin and Cliff were still battling it out. But before she could make it even halfway to their, an unusually strong gust of wind hit Mirage's feet from the back and made her take a hard fall on the ground.

"Hahahahaha! I told you I wouldn't go easy on you this time!" Shin snickered setting his eyes on the both downed Cliff and Mirage. He began walking towards them with his halberd drawn out resting on his shoulder, but a sudden impact hit him from his right side and his whole body went flying smack into the walls of the building.

"Unnfff!" he wailed as he struggled to get back up. His durable red armor nearly shattered from the impact. All three turned to the right to see what force caused the immensely strong impact.

"Stay back! Leave this one to me!" an old tough man with a long white beard and black hair shouted. He was dressed in a large grey robe and his shouts were more vibrant and resonating than anyone Mirage and Cliff have ever heard.

"Father! Thank goodness!" Mirage screamed as she got back onto her feet quickly, words couldn't describe how relieved she was to see him safe.

"Well, it's good to see you two back again. Now if I can just take care of this large fellow here!" Dan rushed towards the injured Shin and charged at him with his shoulder to smack him into the wall once again. For his age, Dan was surprisingly quick!

"Heh, well I see you still haven't lost the touch, old man... although I could've handled him myself." Cliff was impressed with Dan's powers, he simply stood in his place and watched the show with a smirk.

"Still as modest as ever I see." the old man shot back sarcastically with a slight amusement in his voice. Shin noticing that he was distracted quickly lifted his large halberd from the ground in his position and attempted to thrust Dan with it, but Dan grasped the edge of the sharp weapon just in time.

"Not today, sonny! Aura of the Soul, unleash!" Dan's hands began to glow brighter and brighter as he put all his energy into his hands that were grasping the halberd. The next thing anyone could hear was the snap of the weapon as it broke into two separate pieces. Shin held both pieces of the halberd in each of his hand as he looked at them stupefyingly. But the invincible Dan did not last long, it was one of the few times Mirage or Cliff had seen his old age affecting his techniques. Usually, he would be able to fight just as healthily as anyone else. This time, he began coughing and wheezing deeply as he held his chest with his bare hand.

"cough! hack!" Dan kneeled down on one knee as he tried to gather back his strength slowly.

"Father! Are you alright?" Mirage shouted as she began to walk towards him.

Dan, however, held out his hand, giving her a sign that he can handle himself, "L-Let me take care of this... ugh."

"Bahahaa! You impressed me there for a second, old timer! But a bed would really suit you a lot more than this!" Shin bellowed cockily as he started to chant a spell.

"No! Stop!" Mirage yelled.

"Ack!" Shin shrieked once again as a small dagger impaled his right shoulder out of the blue. A slithering dark figure suddenly leaped down from one of the trees and snuck up behind Shin. It was an exotic looking man slightly young in age and dressed in a mercenary outfit with shinguards. He held out a long knife in front of Shin's throat as he began to whisper something to his ear.

"Greetings, Shin." he said softly.

"Rudra! What the hell's this all about!" Shin blurted out as his eyes filled with fear.

"..." not willing to give a response, the man Shin called 'Rudra', simply flung his wrist inwards using his long dagger to slice Shin's throat as blood spilled on to his dagger and then dropped to the ground. "Goodbye Shin..."

"GRAAAGH!" Shin shrieked out as he fell to the ground, "Damn that Wakou! So this is what he's been up to all this time!" and those were his last words before he fell to his demise.

"What...? Did he say Wakou?" Mirage placed her hand onto her mouth from shock, she wasn't quite sure what was going on... "Who... is it?"

Cliff placed a hand on Mirage's shoulder before he began to speak as he focused his eyes towards Mirage, "I've seen him before. He's one of the Inner Alliance Specialists working under the wing of Wakou."

Rudra stepped over Shin's body looking at his opponents as he held out his two blades, "I was only ordered to kill Shin, so i'll spare you this once."

"What the hell did you kill him for!" Cliff demanded in anger. "And what's Wakou got up his sleeve! Speak up, kid!"

"You all seem to be behind so many things. So i'll let you on to it a little bit." said Rudra while turning his back to them. "The reason why the Alliance was split into the Inner group and the Outer group is because they both had different destinies. The destiny of the Outer Alliance is what you see now..." He pointed towards Shin with his blade. "The Inner Alliance's destiny to fulfill what is right and justify an act that has been left unjustified for four years now."

"So you just used them for your own benefit!" Mirage asked surprisingly.

"Every act requires sacrificing something. Even if it's justice." With that said, Rudra stepped over to Dan Koas who was still kneeling from pain. Rudra offered him his hand politely to help him back up. Dan hesitated at first, but saw no threat in simply taking his hand but he made sure Rudra did not catch him off guard.

"Father..." Mirage's mind suddenly went back towards Dan who was terrible taken in by his old age while trying to fight off Shin. Just as Dan got up, Rudra gave him a warm unusual hug with his one arm. Suddenly, a sharp blade impaled Dan Koas through his abdomen. Rudra withdrew his blade as blood spewed over it disturbingly. Mirage could have sworn she felt her eyes shift back and forth vigorously as they widened more and more from horror.

"FATHER!" Dan's body began to sink back to the ground after the blade left his body, but Mirage rushed towards him and was able to get a hold of him before he fell flat onto the ground.

"Damn you! You bastard!" Cliff roared aggressively as Rudra started to move back slowly.

"I'll advise you... stay out of our way..." Rudra flipped backwards before leaping away into the forested regions of Trena before vanishing completely out of everyone's sight in only a matter of a few seconds.

"Father! Speak to me!" Mirage knew he could not have possibly survived that blow but there was one small hope in her heart that wanted to ignore everything and wanted him to be alright.

"Ugh... M-Mirage... it's okay now..." Dan was barely able to speak.

"I'll go call for help right now!" Cliff shouted.

"Stop... Cliff... Ugh! I have n-no regrets... I died protecting my daughter... something I could not do for Lucia... I couldn't prefer another way to leave... P-Please don't let me miss this oppurtunity."

Every word of Mirage brought a teer down her cheek as she spoke, "What are you talking about! You have to live! How will you survive if you don't have the will to be alive anymore!"

"I-I promised Lucia that I w-wouldn't allow anything to happen to her. But I c-couldn't do a thing for her... you were just like her. cough I w-was scared... that even th-though I was strong, I would still not be able to pr-protect you... that's why... I h-had to push you s-so much and train you everyday... ugh... so you c-could take care of... yourself... M-Mirage... forgive me..." he stuttered oddly as his eyes began to fade away slowly.

"I have no regrets father..." Mirage sniffed trying to pull back her tears with whatever strength she had left, but it was no use... they were streaming down like a waterfall.

"Dammit, just hold on for a little longer. Don't die on me now!" Cliff said angrily but at the same time, sorrowfully.

Dan simply smiled back as Cliff's anger and insists made him happier, "Cliff... Y-You're the only one now... look after Mirage for me..." Suddenly his smile faded away. The expressions in his eyes disappeared, and his body stopped shaking from pain.

Mirage placed her hand on her father's eyes as she looked at him in disbelief. She kept repeating the word 'Father' over and over as if she was bottling up her emotions by each word. After Cliff noticed her kneeling in front of her uncomfortably next to Dan's body... he placed his hand on Mirage's head comfortingly.

"You don't have to, Mirage. 'It's okay to let your emotions out sometimes, you can't just bottle up your emotions or it may prove harmful to you at some point. After all, everyone has their weakness along with their strengths. You'll have to accept that.' Isn't that what you told me once?" he said as he kneeled down beside Mirage.

Suddenly, Mirage began to feel liberated from Cliff's words. She felt her emotions flow up her body slowly and then into her mouth just as she was ready to burst them out...

"FAAATHERRR!"


	26. Chasing the Wind

**Chapter 26**

**Chasing the Wind**

A ruckus had ensued where Lazeria was filled with bloodshed and hatred as the Alliance fought the Klausians in huge numbers along with members of the Quark. Members of both sides fell quickly from the gunfire and immense explosions. Other parts of Klaus had been taken in control by both Quark and the Klausian military, but Lazeria was tough to get a hold of, all the members of the Alliance were acting directly under Shin's orders.

The arrival at the train station in downtown Lazeria felt like a short ride from the space station all the way south considering how big of a city Lazeria was. The city was still a little lively surprisingly even with the Alliance causing ruckus all over the place. Downtown Lazeria was often a very busy place since it was the home of the Klausian government headquarters. There were many skyscrapers and large infrastructures just outside the train station.

Maria and Lieber with the rest of the squad left the train station just as the sun had begun to set and they already spotted a couple of dead bodies lying on the ground just near the station. Maria noticed that the one of them was taking his last few breaths before giving in as she stepped over towards him.

"Klausian soldiers... Looks like these two weren't killed too long ago." Maria mentioned as she inspected the dead bodies of the soldiers.

"It sure didn't take much to take them down." Lieber replied unhappily.

The sound of gunfire interrupted them suddenly when one of Quark's squad members went down instantly from the blow. The sound was very familiar, it was the same sound that come from disrupter weapons.

"Uggh!" the Quark member went down immediately.

"What's this! Another Klausian organization?" an Alliance brigadier shouted from behind. Along with him were about ten to fifteen other members who formed a brigade.

"Dammit, the Alliance!" Lieber shouted as he aimed towards them with his rifle.

While Quark did manage to take down their foes slowly, the squad members proved to be no match for their the Alliance's weapons. Lieber quickly took cover so he wouldn't suffer from the same occurence. However, he noticed Maria was wide in the open in a risky position and he panicked.

"Gravity Bullet!" a bullet covered with a large dark magnetic aura sped towards the group of enemies and sucked them into the void.

"Maria, look out!" Other troops of the Alliance began to step forward in an attempt to take down Maria who was concentrating on giving the enemy ahead of her a hard time getting past her. Just as they readied their disrupter guns, Maria noticed there was another group of enemies behind her so she turned as quick as possible, but it was too late. They had already begun to fire their guns and rifles towards their target.

"Maria!" Lieber got up from his covered position and quickly sped towards Maria and threw himself onto her hoping he could save her from the assault. He heard the sound of gunfire and closed his eyes praying that she wouldn't get hurt.

"Woah!" Both Lieber and Maria fell to the ground barely able to escape the shots just in time. Suddenly Lieber felt a bullet piercing right knee as he was falling down to the ground. As he barely got up back up, he tried to gather enough strength to lift his rifle and position himself quickly in front of the enemy while half limping...

"Flaming missile!" Lieber yelled as bullets from his rifle left a large trail of fire like a flamethrower. The flames caught nearly every opponent on fire as they howled in pain before going down, the area was then clear of enemies. Lieber fell back down as he grabbed his knee with both his hands from pain. Maria rushed towards his aid as she kneeled down before him.

"Lieber! Are you okay!" she shouted disappointingly, "What did you do that for? You knew I could have easily escaped that attack!"

Lieber simply smiled back pleasantly, "Yeah I know. Heh, don't worry... i'll live."

"Lieber..." Maria sighed as she dropped her eyelids shaking her head in sympathy. At that instant, she knew Lieber still cared for her... and still had affections for her.

"Maria, i'm sorry..." Lieber spoke delicately. He lifted himself slowly while brushing off the pain from his knee which was bleeding intensely. "I needed to get that off my chest. I don't think I ever got a chance to say that before..." He was of course, talking about his dilemma involving Maria four years ago before she left Diplo. They didn't part the way either of them would have liked to, but Lieber constantly blamed himself for that and ever since, wanted to apologize Maria for that. It was a moment he would never forget...

------------------------

The crew within the Diplo was quite excited to know where there new lives would lead them to. Now that Quark was being disbanded, everyone had to separate their ways and make a new life for themselves. Maria, who was glad she did not have to keep the burden of being the commander of Quark anymore, was relieved that she could finally live her normal life the way she always wanted to...

"At last, time to say goodbye to this ship. If you think about it, all the days of my struggle began and ended on this ship... Thinking back again, it wasn't such a long time, but there's still much that we have to remember." she said as her eyes fell on different objects while looking around the bridge of the Diplo. They each had some kind of connection to our past that she shared with the ship and it was something she would never forget.

One individual, Lieber, who stood in his place filled with jitteriness could not gather enough confidence to share a certain feeling of his to his captain. "This is the last chance..." With one small push, he was able to force himself to talk to Maria, "All right! I'm gonna do it! Ah! Um, captain!" I have something I want to talk to you about. Do you mind?"

Wondering what Lieber could have to say to her personally, Maria answered back... "Thank you for all your hard work. I never would have been able to make it this far without you. Thanks, Lieber. So, what did you want to talk about?

"Ah... captain. I mean, Maria! Um, that is, I mean..." Lieber at this point was thinking about dropping his concern and leaving things as they were. He worried if things didn't go the right way, whatever he shared with Maria might be gone as well.

"What is it? What are you so nervous about? If there's something I can help with, just say the word and i'll do it."

Lieber could feel his heart thump at this point, "I-I just wanted to ask... um, do you really have to leave?"

"Why? Do you not want me to?"

"Uh... n-no. Well, it's not that. I mean, Um... it's all up to you after all. Heh heh heh." Lieber threw out a fake laugh nervously trying to lighten up the mood a little.

"I understand how you and everyone else feel. And I suppose they pushed you into doing their job for them, huh?" Maria spoke with a delighted expression. "But... I have waited so long for this time. I'm sorry but I could not possibly turn back from this. This is the beginning of my new life, but you all have given me such a great time, i'll never forget this."

"Maria..." Lieber sulked for a second before another thought struck his mind, "What if I were to come with you! You don't have to stay here if you don't want to, but i'd like to accompany you in your new life. I want to be there beside you... always."

"Lieber?"

"I just couldn't imagine myself being here without you..."

Maria was taken aback by Lieber's sincere remarks. She definitely did not expect this, and she had never experienced a situation like this before. She didn't know what decision would be right at this point, or how to deal with it, but she chose to stick with her own personal beliefs.

"Lieber, i'm sorry. But I couldn't do that... my new life has to have no relations with my past life. If I were to drag a part of my life from the past and bring it into my new one, it couldn't possibly ever be a new life." Maria turned around the other way as her heart sank from the grief of having to refuse his kind offer.

"So you mean i'm..."

"Yeah. You're part of my past." Maria lowered her head from disappointment. Something inside her gave her a feeling that she wasn't confident with what she was doing.

Lieber felt terribly dejected. However, he had no choice but to accept her decision and respect it. He knew he had to snap out of his hopeless romantic state and mature a little bit, "Alright. Sorry for bringing up all of this. Well um, I guess you can go now then!" he spoke unnaturally.

"We have to think for ourselves now and live our own lives separately... to make new friends, new goals, and new jobs." Maria said as she began to leave the bridge of the ship.

Steeg and Marietta rushed towards Lieber to console him as he began to walk away as well. Lieber, however, could not hold his bottled up emotions for long. What he felt he was about to do was purely in impulsive act. He tried at every moment to keep everything inside him, but they just burst out immediately.

"Dammit I don't need your sympathy!" he yelled before turning towards Maria. "If you want to go, fine! I'm just part of the junk you call 'past', I don't care any longer! So good luck with your 'new life'!"

Maria who was walking towards the upper deck suddenly stopped from shock after hearing Lieber's words. She stood there and paused for a few moments, but never turned around. Then she ran away with sullen grief out of the bridge with tears streaming down from her eyes.

------------------------

Maria simply shook her head as she looked down at Lieber's bruised knee, "If you're talking about that time, then no it's fine. It didn't bother me all that much."

"Yeah, I guess I was the wrong one after all. It seems like you were right... if I were with you, you probably wouldn't have changed the way you are now." Lieber slowly managed to get back onto his feet, "You know... now that i've let that much out... I have no reason to stay away or be nervous around you anymore. It can be just like the good old times." he grinned gladly.

"Well, actually there is something I need to tell you as well..."

Before Maria could go on, a much larger brigade of Alliance troops came barging into the entrance to the train station. They stopped halfway as the Quark squad stepped into their path holding their rifles in position to counter their attack.

"Reinforcements!" Maria shouted as she whipped out her handgun once again.

"You two! Go on ahead!" one of Quark's squad member shouted into the distance towards Lieber and Maria. "We've got this pack, you guys move on ahead quickly!"

"By Shin's direct orders... attack!" yelled the Alliance trooper.

Maria and Lieber entrusted this task to the squad members before heading north to scout the other areas of downtown Lazeria as quickly as possible.

------------------------

"Laser beams!" Misty chanted a spell before shouting those words. The soldiers blocking Misty, Xeim, and Welch's paths were eliminated instantly from that spell. "That takes care of them. Let's move on quickly."

"Wow... it seems like we've been doing this forever! Just how many of these guys are here!" Welch shouted as she whacked one of the dead Alliance soldier with her glove stick to see if he was still alive.

"I guess most of the Alliance brigades were located in our area. Lazeria was in a pretty bad shape after all. The rest of our squad team have already gone ahead and scouted the other areas of this place, I guess we're almost done now." Misty remarked softly.

"Oh geez. We get the short end of the stick again! Just like last time, right Xeim!" Welch glanced at Xeim who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as they kept moving forward.

"Oh... yeah..." he replied not paying any attention to what was being said.

"Hell-oooo!" Welch waved her short glove stick she loves carrying around in front of Xeim's face to snap him out. "What's with you! You've been acting really weird since we left that planet Vanguard, y'know?"

"It's nothing..." said Xeim turning the other way.

"I know what's bothering him..." Welch teased Xeim as she gave him a sly look. "He must be worried about his sweetheart!"

"Huh? Who are you talking about?" asked Xeim.

Welch gave a small chuckle and said, "Who else? Mirage, of course. And ever since Cliff's been with us, it seems like you have some tough competition... no wonder you look so troubled all the time! And the look on your face when Cliff said 'I'll go with you, Mirage' was priceless!"

Xeim simply shrugged and walked forward past both his companions, "Hmph. Why did I even bother to ask?"

"Oh c'mon, it's only natural. Fight for your love, become the chivalric knight, and save your heart from sinking to the bottomless depths of the abyss! Isn't that what living life is all about!" Welch exclaimed as she stood boldly slapping her hand on her chest with pride. By that time, however, Xeim had already gone... "Huh? H-Hey, wait for me!"

Misty stood in her place watching the scene with pleasure as she smiled graciously.

------------------------

The sun had just about finished setting on Klaus IV. It was growing darker and darker by each second just like the conditions of Trena. Once the darkness had swept over the planet, it was nighttime. The sea water that ran down across the crag flowed at a very steady rate across from Dan's grave. Mirage sat just a few feet across from the grave on the ground where she stared down at the grave peacefully. She was too quiet for words at this point, but her mind wasn't. It was filled with thoughts and memories of her father which she couldn't help but remember. But there were far too many of them, they all could not possibly flash before her eyes in just a single moment. She then remembered her father's dying words... it was about her mother, Lucia. Mirage had heard many stories about her, but the death of her father was what made her reminisce one special memory. It was her mother's dying words...

------------------------

"Dan... do you remember our promise?" Lucia asked as she lied down on the ground in the middle of the field filled with thickets and tall trees. Dan was unable to bear to see the condition of his wife but he knew he had to be there by her side while she was taking her last few breaths.

"Yeah I do. Don't worry, i'll make sure she stays safe with me." he said as he grasped her hand tightly while kneeling down beside her.

"That's a relief then... I wish I could stay with you longer..."

"Lucia, i'm sorry... it's my fault. I couldn't keep you safe even after all these years of training. I swear they'll pay for this!" he lamented as he looked down at Lucia's wounds.

Lucia smiled calmly and shook her head, "No... it's alright. Please don't do anything like that. I only want you to take care of Mirage and forget about the Uelians. It happens. This is war after all."

"How could I possibly forget about them? I can't just act like they've done nothing at all!" Dan clenched his fists trying to bury his anger and hatred towards the enemy.

"Be strong, Dan... just like my daughter..."

"sigh Alright, I promise... i'll only look after her."

------------------------

Suddenly, she was interrupted by Cliff who was concerned with her condition, "How are you holding out? And... whatcha thinking about?"

"I'm fine." Mirage shook her head. "After mother passed away during the Zeta war, father only had me with him. Even after doing all he could for mother, he just couldn't protect her from the Rezerbians during the war... and I suppose the same fear swept over him during my childhood as well."

"Yeah... He was so tough on the outside and in the inside as well. But he had that one soft spot inside him... which was you. Seeing him in action all these years, I never would have expected something like that." Cliff added.

"I used to despise him as a child. I used to think he hated me for always pushing me and treating me so badly, but as I got used to it... I realized that was just his way of showing how much he cared for me. Hey Cliff... do you remember what Shin said? Do you think if I had never left home, maybe father...?"

"No, it's no use thinking about what would have happened or what wouldn't have happened. No matter how different events were to turn out, the end result will always be the same."

"Thanks, Cliff... I'm sure he would have said the same thing. When you look at things from his way, I guess you really can't blame him. He did have to carry the burden of blaming himself for letting mother pass away, I suppose his method of dying in order to protect me was his way of repenting for that."

"By the way, sorry if this isn't a good time but i've just managed to contact the others. It looks like we've taken care of the Alliance here for now. We're supposed to meet at the down at the Lazeria station. What do you say? You coming?"

The gust blew Mirage's long blonde wavy hair as she got back onto her feet. She tried to brush them back with her fingers behind her ear fighting the wind's force as she turned her head towards Cliff and gave a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I can't stop now."


	27. The Will and the Desire

**Chapter 27**

**The Will and the Desire**

"Hey Fayt, what's with the long face?" spoke a young girl about Fayt's age. Fayt was too tired to notice that someone was speaking to him. But a shake on the shoulder was enough to bring him back to his senses.

"Oh, Sophia... sorry, I didn't notice you there." Fayt said as he got up from his small chair in the corner of his room. The state of his room looked as if he had recently just thrown a party in his apartment. A huge stack of video games were lying all over the floored carpet, and cabinets were left open on top of the sink which was filled with dirty dishes yet to be washed. The only thing that was left tidy in his rom was his desk in the corner which had many books stacked in a very organized fashion suggesting his obsession with reading in the past week or two. Sophia gave him a concerned look as if she was trying to study what was on Fayt's mind.

"Didn't notice...? Well, whatever. So what have you been doing? And why didn't you call me for the past few days!" an annoyed Sophia replied.

"Oh sorry about that. I've just been busy with a few games lately." Fayt said solemnly.

"Games? Not again... just when I thought that nerdy brain of yours couldn't take it anymore, here you are... back to playing video games again." Sophia hissed at Fayt as she turned his back towards him in an annoyed manner.

"Whoa, slow down! You're always jumping to conclusions." Fayt retorted quickly as he placed hand on Sophia's arm noticing that she was about to leave. "I'm not talking about video games. I meant I had to participate in the preliminary games at my college for my basketball team. The coach would have been really mad at me if I didn't show up. That's why i'm really exhausted!"

Sophia lightened her expression a little and looked more firm and serious than angry now. "Well, alright. I guess that's fine then. Anyway, I actually came here to tell you something important. It's really good news! I'm sure you'll like it too-oo!" Suddenly her face seemed a lot more delightful and happy now as she started to smile.

"Hm good news, huh? I could use one of those right now, i've had a really rough week!" Fayt chuckled.

"Okay, well you know mom, dad, and Aunt Ryoko had planned to go on a long vacation to Hyda IV a few weeks ago. Just yesterday, Aunt Ryoko told me that they had decided to cancel their trip and stay home but they had already bought the tickets for the transport ships. So guess who they gave their tickets to!" Sophia said as she whipped out three tickets from her jeans hip pocket.

"Wait... to Hyda IV?" Fayt and Sophia didn't have the best memories of that planet, and they had never thought of returning there ever since the Vendeeni attack four years ago which was the incident that led them all the way to fight the Creator. Fayt had mixed feelings of that place... he did hate the sight of it because of everything it got him into, but he also saw the whole scenario as a positive thing. It led him through all sorts of things and gave him a new experience in life. And for that, he had to thank Hyda IV. But Fayt hesitated on going for other particular reasons... "Uh... Sophia? Sorry, but can we call it off as well?"

Suddenly Sophia's arms, which were held towards Fayt's face showing him the three tickets, fell back down in their position as she sulked at his response, "What...? Call it off? But why? If you're worried about that time four years ago, you can stop getting so paranoid. They've repaired everything in that resort years ago and I heard it's as luxurious as ever."

"No, it's not that." Fayt shook his head politely, "I'm sure ever since that attack, the security on the planet must be a lot tighter than before."

"Yeah and thank goodness none of the people in Hyda figured out that the Vendeeni were only after us otherwise they would never let us back in there. So come on then! I already have got the third ticket reserved for Anna, she was so excited about going with the both of us!" Sophia pleaded.

However, Fayt refused once again, "You two go on ahead. You know that this is my last year in college, and I don't want to slack off now... otherwise, all my hard work in the past few years would go to waste if I fail this year. And there's only one more month left before fall arrives... i've got to be one step ahead of everyone else to make sure I don't screw up anywhere this year."

"Fayt, I don't get what you're so worried about. You've always been a straight 'A' student and if there's anyone who needs to be doing catching up on quantum mechanics or symbological genetics then it's me! You have to relax sometimes and spend time with your friends... or does that nerdy head of yours not allow you to do that either?" Sophia became a lot more furious at this point.

Not liking the Sophia's comments, Fayt shot back... "Well, sorry... geez! Don't I have a choice here? I'll tell you what. You two can go this time, but i'll make it up to you next year. I promise."

Still standing with her back towards Fayt, she crossed her arms and hesitated in her response, "Hmph. Well, fine I guess. But if something were to go wrong, i'll blame it all on you! Understand?"

"Hey, don't say things like that..." Fayt said as he walked in front of Sophia before resting both his hands on her shoulders. "So when will you be leaving then?"

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time... our transport ship will leave in a week from now." Sophia grumbled still unhappy about the situation, "Well I guess i'll see ya later then. And don't forget to call this time!" she spoke just before walking out of Fayt's apartment room.

"Uh... see ya."

_'Whew... well I guess that's over with. Still... I feel a little bad at myself now.'_ Fayt thought to himself as he dropped back onto his comfortable cushioned chair just across the TV.

------------------------

Suddenly a stream of energy ran inside of Fayt as he sat back up abruptly as if he just suffered an electric shock. _'It must've been a dream...'_ Fayt thought. He was lying on a bed inside a white room. At first he figured, the whiteness was just a hallucination in his dizzy state of mind but then he noticed the dark green colored curtains beside his bed. It looked a lot like a living quarter of some battle-class ship.

"How are you feeling now, Fayt?" a woman entered in a nurse outfit. Fayt noticed the dark blue uniform she was wearing... it was the Federation's uniform.

"Ah... this must be the sick bay. Tell me what's happened? To moonbase, Albel, and the Alliance...? And how did you find us here?" Fayt began to fire the nurse with questions instantly.

"Moonbase is fine now thanks to you. And your friend I believe is waiting for you outside this room. I was given orders by the second-in command General Grims to send you a message that he wants to meet you at the bridge once you have regained consciousness." the nurse said summing up all his questions with a few sentences.

"Alright, thanks for your hospitality." Fayt got up from the bed, but winced in pain just the next second. "Ouch!"

"Be careful! Your ankle was badly hurt during the fight... try not to put too much strain on it." the nurse advised. Fayt nodded and slowly stepped out of the room. Albel, who stood just outside the sick bay leaning on the wall suddenly jumped up seeing Fayt come out of the room.

"Oh, hey Albel! I heard you were waiting for me, so what's going on? I'm glad to see that atleast you're alright..." Fayt answered delightfully as he looked towards Albel. He didn't seem to suffer from any harmful injuries unlike Fayt who had to be treated by the nurse.

Albel, however, answered in a very grim manner. "W-Waiting for you? How absurd! Don't be such a fool."

"Oh yeah? Then what were you doing here leaning on the wall outside of the sick bay?" Fayt cracked wisely.

"Hmph. Anyway, it looks like the scum got away again. Maybe if you hadn't stopped me earlier from pounding that three-eyed bitch, she wouldn't have gotten a chance to make her little smart move." Albel complained furiously as he narrowed his eyes towards Fayt.

Fayt, annoyed, replied before leaving the main hall towards the bridge, "When will you learn to stop whining for a change? Did you ever stop to think if people actually listen to your complaints all the time? If you don't like my company or the Federation for that matter, then why did you decide to tag along with me in the first place?"

"Perhaps if you're done with your pathetic drivel now, maybe you can mind your business so we can finally make our move to the bridge? Or would you prefer to keep this up and have me carve off your tongue in the process?" Albel snapped scornfully at Fayt as he shot him with a look of contempt. He knew of what his intentions were and he didn't feel the need to share it with his companion. If there was anyone in the Airyglyph army who loved challenges, it was Albel the Wicked. After years of training in the grounds of the Kirlsa Training Facility on Elicoor, Albel had grown powerful enough to take care of almost every matter within Airyglyph. Not long ago just a few months before leaving Elicoor, he was assigned to a cooperative task with the Shield Legion to deal with matters involving Peterny and Surferio. During the mission, many soldiers of Aquaria including the leader of the Shield Legion, Clair, admitted that Albel had grown almost twice as strong as they had last seen him.

When Albel heard of Fayt's arrival on Elicoor, he saw a no better chance other than that moment to equal his score with Fayt after suffering a humiliating defeat four years ago. At Fayt's refusal, Albel implied that he would help Fayt look for whatever he was after but only if Albel defeated him. If Albel suffered defeat, he promised to stay out of Fayt's way once and for all. Not allowing the latter to happen, Albel barely managed to scrape a victory while sparring with Fayt. He felt that going along with Fayt would give him something new and something challenging to do for a change. He could never know how strong he had really grown just by staying on Elicoor since most of the tasks were handled by ease, so he had no choice but to venture outside just like he did four years ago.

Fayt didn't bother to argue afterwards and they found their way to the bridge of the battleship where the ship's commander waited for their arrival. He was tall, brisk, and had dark brown goatee hanging below his chin. The bridge was unusually large even for a battleship compared to the other rooms, but it suited the Federation to have such grandeur appearances within their facilities.

"Ah. Fayt and Albel, i've been waiting for your arrival." the General spoke as he cleared his throat. "I'm Major General Grims, second in-command of the Conqueror... the battleship you stand on now."

"The Conqueror... it looks like one of the most elegant battleships i've ever placed foot on." Fayt spoke as he grabbed some time to take a good view of the interior of the ship. "So anyway, what happened to Moonbase? And... Sophia?"

Major General Grims smirked roughly at his question, "That was something I was hoping to ask you about. Anyway, Moonbase is now safe and reclaimed by the Pangalactic Federation once again. That is the good news. And it is all thanks to you." he said with gratitude.

"Well it's not like we did much..." Fayt shrugged slowly as he thought back to his time on the Moonbase. "The Inner Alliance Specialist known as Nahal simply drew back her army from the station, she said she got what she wanted from Moonbase... not sure what that meant."

"I don't see how you can be satisfied with the results, it was only moments ago when they trounced us." Albel exclaimed.

"Hmm... Nahal you say?" the general pondered as he stroked his goatee with his fingers. "I can't say I or anyone in the Federation has heard of that name before... but if she really is an Alliance Specialist, then it's no surprise you were the ones who fell in battle."

"Hmph. Speak for yourself!" Albel growled angrily.

Fayt gave Albel a look as if to tell him, _'That's enough!'_ and then turned towards the general. "She mentioned about the hostages as well. Apparently, we were tricked into thinking that the civilians were all held on Moonbase... but she informed us that due to a change of plans, they moved them to Vendeen."

"Ugh... Vendeen... that's bad news." the general replied furiously but not trying to show his expressions at the same time.

"Not so much. Nahal seemed to have different intentions... she said she herself would release all the civilians the Inner Alliance had taken over near Earth if and only if all the Federation fleets were to retreat not only from the Vendeen system, but the border of the gamma sector as well." explained Fayt in a very desperate fashion.

General Grim shook his head firmly in response, "That's something we cannot allow to happen. If we retreat from battle now, we may not get another chance for a long time."

"But General Grims..." Fayt urged to go along with Nahal's negotiation concerned only about Sophia's condition at the time. Then he thought about how the other civilians from different areas would begin to suffer if the Federation allowed the Alliance to continue their terrorizing just so he could save Sophia. Besides, submitting to the Alliance wasn't really the best method of saving your closest friend you've known since childhood. "sigh I understand. Then allow me to go to Vendeen!"

"Fear not, Fayt. I assure you Miss Esteed will remain safe and no harm will be inflicted upon the civilians. As for Vendeen, i've received other reports from Station #16 that they have already organized an infiltration on Vendeen already."

"Organized an infiltration on Vendeen?" asked Fayt filled with curiosity.

"Yes. According to Commander Paulin of Remote Station #7, the Klausian force widely known as Quark has been assigned to this task. Strangely, none of the Federation fleets nor soldiers of Quark are to be deployed on the planet. I haven't heard everything yet, but that's what I was given. General Reed could probably explain the situation better than myself."

Fayt became more interested in the situation when he heard the word 'Quark'. That was the same military organization that helped him four years ago in his journey. They were here as well? Fayt thought Quark was disbanded a long time ago, which means Maria must have somehow decided to return to Klaus and formed Quark once again to fight the Alliance.

"Quark? Weren't those the same outsiders who were with us four years ago?" Albel asked taking a little more interest in the conversation this time.

"Yeah... so Quark is working alongside the Federation on this? Doesn't surprise me, the Alliance is our main concern right now. General Grims... I happen to know Quark really well personally. Could you please lead me to the Vendeen system once you have successfully taken care of this shield barrier?" Fayt requested politely.

"I'll be going along as well. After coming this far, I won't simply turn back home without displaying to those Alliance scum what the true meaning of strength really is." a confident Albel added as he held the handle of his sword which was resting in his sheath.

"That won't be a problem, but... I should remind you... the Inner Alliance are nothing to cough at. I think you found that out the hard way on Moonbase." the general spoke in a concerned voice.

"Don't worry about us..." Fayt quickly cut the general knowing that he was worried about their safety. "We'll make sure not to get into any unnecessary involvements with the Alliance. Maybe if we gathered enough clues, I could find out more about where they've actually kept all the civilians."

"Hmm... well then if you've decided, I suppose I won't try to stop you. And since you will be one of the few members confronting the Vendeeni... allow me to brief you more on what we've investigated on the Inner Alliance so far."

"What about them?" asked Fayt.

The general began to stroke his goatee once again as he started to think about his answer while speaking, "The soldiers of the Inner Alliance carry weapons that far exceed the dangers caused by the disrupter class which the Outer Alliance members carry. From what we know, the Inner Alliance soldiers all consist of the Vendeeni race unlike the Outer Alliance which are dispersed in all different types of species."

"More dangerous than the disrupter class? It's no wonder none of the Federation units could get anywhere on Vendeen." Fayt theorized while closing his eyes as his mind started to wander off.

"Whatever the case may be, in the end worms are only worms! If you let some jesters strike fear into our minds, you're only going to weaken yourself both physically and mentally." Albel replied in a very serious yet slightly cocky fashion.

Fayt turned towards Albel as he gave him a shocked and commendable look at the same time, "That's the first positive comment i've heard from you today, Albel." Albel brushed off his comment without giving a reply. Even though Albel and Fayt would end up in some of the worst bitter arguments, they had a high degree of respect for each other. And although Albel wouldn't admit it, he always used to see Fayt as someone stronger than he was, and found it surprising that Fayt actually lost to him in a duel. Atleast their bitter moments didn't get nearly as bad as Albel and Cliff's.

"That's all we can really tell about them. There were only few Federation units who lived long enough to spread information about the Inner Alliance. None of them, of course, could give us any details about the planet Vendeen itself." said the general.

"Don't worry, we'll manage. So is this battleship planning to engage in combat?" Fayt questioned curiously to which General Grims nodded in returned.

"The Conqueror won't act as a front-line battleship, but it'll serve as a back-up warship for the other ships that are engaging in battle. This will give us enough time to get a shuttle prepared for you two once we've broken through to the Vendeen system. Only then will we launch the shuttle." the general gave his answer firmly.

"Sounds good." Fayt nodded.

------------------------

"Why didn't you kill them, Nahal?" asked a brittle old man who looked oddly short in size.

Nahal, who was sitting on one a small boulder in the corner of a cove, peeked at her group of friends from the corner of her eyes once the old man asked his question. "They didn't look like they were from that filthy Federation. Besides, why would you care? Would that have brought all your homes back?"

The cove they were currently located in was used as a hideout for Nahal and her companions in a small isolated planet located just outside the border of the gamma sector. Everyone in the cove was stumped at her question and simply hung their heads low before Nahal with a glum expression planted on their faces. A tough-looking, husky man about seven feet tall who looked like a large overgrown creature began to speak... "Well, what are you going to do then? We were awfully worried about you."

"Don't act like such a baby, Lehmann. I'm only going to do what's necessary, I won't do anything rash unless something comes in my way." Nahal answered boldly and proudly, "You're all important to me... that's why... i'm going to be extra careful about this." she said in a much lower tone. Ever since the event of Tetragenesis' downfall hit Nahal, she had trouble interacting with others and preferred to stay remote and detached from them like she has been her whole life ever since an army of Federation fleets wiped out her home completely. It was only later in her life, where she was able to find other nomads much like her who she was able to befriend with. Nahal felt that it was only these friends who could understand the pain she's endured her whole life because they've been through the same as well. That was probably why she considered these friends of her to be so important to her.

"We're sorry, Nahal..." a young and chubby girl named Elsa who was about 6 years of age spoke as she stepped up front beside Nahal. "We can't do anything to help you. All we can do is just sit around and wait for you to come back from time to time. I wish..." she started to speak further but the Tetragenoit cut her off instantly with her words.

"You guys have done more for me than you think, so don't mention it. Anyhow, something about what Wakou told me earlier is still fixed in my head... I want to look more in to this." Nahal spoke as suspicions started to rise in her mind. "If I can just get to the second base quickly..."

Fisc, a youthful boy with red hair and a lengthy tail jumped up from his position and faced Nahal, "Yeah! We'll need to keep things in order here in the meantime if only some of the lazy bums can get moving!" He said looking towards Elsa with the corner of his eye. He often complained about other people's laziness and lack of motivation, and that he had to do all the work for them.

Elsa whipped out her bunny doll and struck Fisc on his head with it, "Oooh you're always picking on _me!_ You asked for it this time you freak!" she ran behind him and started to yank his tail while constantly screaming... "MONKEY BOY HAS MONKEY TAIL!"

"OW! Hey! Stop it!" Fisc screamed while running in circles all over the area having his tail pulled and chased by Elsa.

"But you're going to stay with us for a while, right!" the large man named Lehmann asked ignoring the wild act. There were about five others in the cove who sat silently and listened to their leader's words.

"No, it's only a few moments before..." the Tetragenoit gunner began to answer but an odd-looking old woman grabbed her hand and pulled her towards another area inside the cove.

"Oh, but you have to atleast stay this evening and try the special feast we have prepared tonight! I even used that new recipe you found for me last week." the old woman spoke in an elated manner.

With no other choice but to agree to all their insists, Nahal decided to spend the day in the hideout.


	28. Before and After

**Chapter 28**

**Before and After**

Many Federation fleets began to lose their hope as they confronted the warship known as Talwar near the borders of the Vendeen system. About five Federation battleships had surrounded it almost an hour ago ensuring their victory, but the large sword-shaped Alliance warship refused to go down so easily. With an impulsive strike much more powerful than that of creation cannons caused the five battleships to destruct immediately. Before the other Alliance battleships reinforcements could arrive to protect the rear, the Federation tried with all their force to eliminate the Talwar to the best of their abilities.

"What's going on now!" General Reed, from Federation Station #16, demanded to know details from the second-in commander of the Conqueror through the communication link about the situation at the Vendeen border.

"General Reed! The situation is worsening. If we keep going like this, even our back-up warships will go down in no time!" General Grims replied in an extremely awkward manner.

"I want you to forget about any back-up ships or reinforcements! Send them all down there at once, understand?"

If the Federation were to bring in all their battleships down to the border at once, one small impact could destroy all the Federation fleets in one shot. That was the power of the Alliance's battleships. Without reinforcements, it would take hours to bring in other warships to the border and by that time, breaking in through the rear would be just as impossible. In short, this could possibly be their only chance and Reed was willing to take the risk. However, Grims wasn't too sure of the idea...

"But General..."

"Trust me on this one, Grims. If we can bring down the Talwar then the rest will be a cinch. Notify the commander of this change at once!" Reed commanded strictly.

"Yes, General Reed!" Suddenly, the comm link disconnected General Reed from Federation Station #16 and the Conqueror sent a transmission to the commander of the flagship near Vendeen hoping they would respond. Suddenly, a middle-aged handsome man with long brown hair and glasses was seen on the comm link.

"Major General Grims..." he said looking awfully calm considering the situation in Vendeen.

"Reginald! What's the situation over there?"

"The flagship is currently functioning at maximum efficiency. The battleships surrounding the Talwar are all below 30 now... and going down at a constant rate."

"Damn, they'll need to hold out just a bit longer! There's been a major change coming directly from the General himself. Move back the flagship and send reinforcements immediately to the border."

"What?"

"This is an order from the General!"

"Fine, understood."

The plan seemed to work. Instead of arriving at the border one group at a time, all Federation fleets charged in towards the lone Alliance warship all at once. Even the Talwar's shield couldn't withstand that much impact. Combined together, all the Federation battleships would boast a magnitude power that would go through the roof.

"Alright! It's working!" Fayt cheered from the back as he watched the general receive details from Commander Reginald through the comm link. Suddenly, the comm link now instantly connected to space station #16 back with General Reed on the screen.

"Well, it seems things are going much more efficiently! And it's thanks to Paulin. The whole plan was his idea of course." General Reed spoke with an unusual grin on his face.

Grims took a deep breath and a sigh of relief before giving a response, "Whew! I guess i'll check with Reginald on what's going on now!" The comm link changed connections once again to Commander Reginald, commander of the flagship.

"Well, I guess it wasn't such a bad idea after all." Reginald replied in a very sedate manner.

"Yes, but the appreciation should go towards Paulin. He could possibly be labelled as a hero and get a promotion to a few ranks higher up if we strike a success now." Grims chuckled as if he was only joking.

Commander Reginald simply looked down and whispered to himself... "Heh, I guess you had one over me this time Paulin." The rivalry between him and Paulin was still very existent.

However, everyone spoke too soon. As the Talwar started to back away slowly, about two or three Federation battleships engaged in combat were instantly blown to bits from an unseen force. Reginald tried to look at the battlefield, but there were no other Alliance ships in position other than the Talwar. This could mean only one thing...

"Major General!" Reginald exclaimed much more frantically this time. "There are warships present on the border which are invisible to the naked eye! The radar doesn't read anything either."

"Damn it... those things. That's the last thing we needed!"

"However, if we can fire towards it successfully then we can locate the position of these hidden ships in no time on the radar!" Reginald suggested. The comm link switched back over to General Reed.

"General! Have you heard!" Grims asked in a very anxious manner.

General Reed did not lose his confident appearance despite the terrible news, "Yes... we'll have to go along with Reginald's suggestion. And right now we have no choice, but to send in the third fleet. Start bringing in the Conqueror to the border as well!"

"This ship...?" Grims shot back a nervous look at Reed.

"Indeed. It is our best chance."

"Very well, I will do my best." replied Grims boldly as he lifted his head up high.

"Godspeed, Major General."

And with that, the comm link disconnected completely from both the station and the flagship. Major General Grims turned around and faced Fayt and Albel once again who were fully aware of the situation by now.

"Alright... this ship is going to head for battle. However, once we get near the Vendeen border... we'll try to pull close enough behind the Talwar where we will be able to release the shuttle in which you will boarding. In fact, you should start boarding immediately... I will contact you through the communicator and notify you once it begins to launch towards the planet of Vendeen. And don't worry, I assure you there won't be any anomalies during the trip." the major general spoke with an almost emotionless expression on his face. It was the kind of expression you would see on a stiff military soldier when speaking to his superiors.

"General Grims... please, just be safe." a concerned Fayt said as him and Albel made their way towards the transporter room which was connected to that of the shuttle.

"Good luck, boys... this one's up to you." Grims whispered but the two were no longer around to hear his words.

------------------------

Klaus IV didn't suffer from as much damage as Mirage thought, but most of the damage occured inside her heart as she stared once more at her father's grave just at the edge of the cliff before leaving for the train station along with Cliff. It had been a long day, and Mirage had already informed the superintendent of the dojos located in Trena and the vast regions of Lazeria about the damage caused in the Jingu school. The government was obviously willing to pay the cost for the damage, and they had also planned to act against the Alliance for meddling within matters of Klaus. Quark figured it would be best not to inform the Klaus government about the reasons of the invasion, otherwise they will be held responsible for the attack and will probably be forced to disband once again. Meanwhile... Maria, Lieber, Xeim, Misty, and Welch waited at the nearest train station in Lazeria where they awaited the arrival of Mirage and Cliff.

"What are you thinking about Maria?" Lieber asked as he took a seat next to Maria who was sitting on the small bench near the wall.

"It's... nothing really." Maria shook her head in a hesitant fashion looking slightly depressed. Lieber figured it would be best to leave Maria alone in these situations. Whenever she was not willing to tell what was on her mind, she always preferred to be alone.

However, It wasn't long before Maria herself began to speak to him, "Hey, Lieber... doesn't it feel odd to you to return back home this way? I mean... not that it's been such a long time for you, but still..."

"I suppose, but it's not like I really have a family to look back to here. Steeg and me are the only ones so wherever we go... we prefer to stick together. Marietta, on the other hand, is surely very concerned about her family. Fortunately, they didn't suffer from any drastic incidents... I made sure of that just before arriving at the train station."

"Well that's a relief." Maria sighed as she looked down at her stretched legs while her mind wandered, "I wonder how Mirage and Cliff are?"

"Oh! Speak of the devil and look... they're here!" Welch exclaimed amusingly as she noticed two familiar figures in the distance jumping off the train along with the other Klausians in the train station. It was Mirage and Cliff.

"Cliff! Mirage!" Maria and the others ran towards them glad to see that everyone was now safe. Mirage and Cliff looked as if they had just been through hell, and why wouldn't they? So much had happened in Trena and many Klausian citizens who lost their family must have felt the same way. Upon hearing the death of Dan Koas... everyone's mood began to turn gloomy. They expressed their apologies in a very grief manner and Maria was willing to share a hug with her former mentor as she noticed that her cheeks were dry from all the tears that must have been streaming down them.

"Guys... thanks, but it's okay now. What's happened has happened, and i'm willing to move away from all of it now." Mirage said softly yet quietly showing a tad bit of grief in her tone. Although she had gotten over the incident, there was something inside her that wouldn't let it get past her mind so easily. Maybe it was because she cared too much for her father, how could something like that have been forgotten so quickly? It was impossible. But as a captain, Mirage knew it was her responsibility to show some charisma and keep everyone in the right mood... and for that sake, she tried to absorb any feelings that were still beating in her heart.

"So... what are you gonna do about the dojo?" Cliff asked.

"I've already had a word with the director in Trena... he said that the government holds themselves responsible for the attack and they'd be willing to pay for the damage. That makes me feel kind of guilty now." replied Mirage as she hung her head low.

Cliff nodded slightly in return, "I know just what you mean. But we can't just go around tellin' the government all the details... it's just gonna cause more helluva ruckus."

"I know. Well, in any case, I guess the dojo will have to be closed for a while... i've left a note to Glenn, my neighbor, to look things for me." Just as Mirage finished speaking, there was a transmission being sent on her communicator. Maria noted that it must have been Marietta. And it indeed was... she spoke in her enthusiastic tone as usual.

"Captain, do you read me?"

"Marietta... what is it?"

"There's good news! The Federation has managed to break through the rear of the Vendeen system successfully! Our destination is clear now."

"That's a relief..."

"What's the condition there? Or do you prefer to keep that for later as usual?"

"...Yes."

"Alright, I guess i'll just have to pray everything's alright until then."

Mirage slid the compact communicator back into her vest pocket as everyone gave her a look of curiosity.

"What is it?" Xeim asked bluntly.

"We managed to get past their barriers." Mirage spoke as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright then, I guess there is no reason to stick around here any longer. Still... so many lives were lost, and all just because of a crazy terrorist bent on getting back at Quark." said Maria while shaking her head. The thoughts still rang inside Mirage's head. It was that man, Rudra, one of the Specialists who killed her father... and he would have to pay for it. Ever since that incident, Mirage promised herself to get to the end of this no matter what it takes. Not so much to avenge her father's murder, but so no one else would have to suffer the pain she went through earlier yesterday.

"We'll stop them... no matter what it takes." Mirage announced as she clenched her fist tightly.

------------------------

A station nearby the Klaus government HQ in Lazeria existed as the headquarters for Quark. Although the interior didn't consist of much other than a few local members, a storage room that supplied weapons, and a hangar which regularly held transporters for Quark's ships including its flagship, the Diplo. It wasn't much of a sight since the original Quark headquarters existed within Klaus III before it was disbanded four years ago. Cliff, who willed to leave for Vendeen by himself so he can gather further details on the Alliance was just about ready to depart from Klaus IV in Quark's transport ship known as the Lancer. Other Quark personnel who prepared themselves for the journey had boarded the Lancer already as Cliff gave his farewells to the rest of the group in the hangar of the headquarters.

"You sure about this, Cliff?" Mirage asked once again with a much more concerned voice this time. "Maybe it'd help to have us along as well."

Cliff shook his head as he shrugged calmly, "Would ya relax already? You gotta take it easy for once... although i'm still flattered of how concerned you are for me."

"I'm more worried about how reckless you'll get with your hunches than about your safety. And when you're up against the Alliance, there's no telling what you'll end up doing." Mirage shot back in a very monotonous tone which turned out to be amusing for the group.

"Ouch. Still cold as ever, I see." Cliff chuckled.

"You know... I still find it surprising how easily the Federation was able to get past the Alliance's defense." Maria noted.

Cliff could only agree, "Yeah... it's not like the Alliance to just sit back in their pajamas and watch the Federation attacking their warships. I'm sure that Wakou already has something up his sleeve."

"Right. So whatever you do... be careful, Cliff." Mirage

"Alright, i'll look into everything I can 'bout these synchronological labs. Just leave it to me..."

"Cliff..." Xeim stepped forward in that instant as he looked towards Cliff confusingly, "You've been with the Alliance for quite a while now. Tell me then, have you heard of anything known as the 'Supreme Deity'?"

That was the same name Mirage, Lieber, and Xeim had heard only once throughout their lifetime but for Xeim... once was enough for it to keep ringing in his head constantly since it came from the demon known as Rodrigue. This little clue Rodrigue left them back at the Sanctuary of Linga could possibly help him find out more about Rodrigue. Of course, he could just track down the evil demon himself, Xeim knew what area Rodrigue is likely to hide in. It was the only place demons preferred to dwell in.

"Supreme Deity ya say? Well, can't say I can recall exactly... but there was a bar near a mechanics shop I owned back in Klaus III when I was 20 known as the Drunkard's Deity, but I kinda doubt that's what you're looking for," Cliff said as he tried to think of any other similarities with the term 'Supreme Deity' but nothing else came to mind. "Yep, that's all there is to it."

"Drunkard's Deity...? What kind of name is that for a bar anyway?" Welch asked as she scratched her head with the tip of her fingers.

"Most bars have a tendency of having silly names from my sightings." Mirage mentioned.

"Lancar and I used to visit that bar almost everyday, we guessed the owner was probably drunk himself while coming up with the name." replied an amused Cliff just as a transmission hit his communicator, "Oh! There we go... guess those guys at the ship can't really hold onto their pants any longer. Well... I guess i'm gonna have to take off now then."

"Good luck, Cliff." Maria nodded as she gave him a warm smile.

"We're counting on you!" Lieber cheered.

"Cliff, just... take care." spoke Mirage while seeing Cliff walk over to the transporter of the hangar slowly. He turned around at that instant and took a good look at the group before saying...

"If you guys happen to find anything interesting... just keep in touch."

The Lancer was one of the newest Klausian models for transport ships. It didn't have the advanced space-time displacement shields most Federation transport ships have, but the electromagnetic shield wasn't something that could be looked over so easily. The EMS often boasted the ability to block a variety of magnitudes of energy and since the Lancer was no warship, the EMS carried by this transport ship had limited power compared to the others. As Cliff started to board the ship... Mirage, Maria, Lieber, Misty, Xeim, and Welch waved their hands to give their farewell to him who nodded in return with a delighted expression on his face. Neither Mirage nor the rest of the group liked having Cliff leave their side but atleast the though of Cliff fighting by their side was still in their hearts and Mirage learned that was enough to satisfy her. All she could do now is contact the Diplo once again and have them transported back up to their flagship.


	29. A Place to Call Home

**Chapter 29**

**A Place to Call Home**

Marietta and Steeg grieved at the news of Dan's demise as everyone began to assemble at the bridge. The Diplo was ready to take off, but to where? Cliff had already decided to settle matters within Vendeen himself. And the Outer Alliance had been almost completely demolished by now since the rest of the Alliance team was already working on carrying out their 'other task'. While the mystery had somewhat been revealed, new ones were instantaneously been created. Why did the Specialists get rid of Shin, the first in-command of the Outer Alliance group? There was surely something within the Alliance which created conflicts between the different divisions of the organization. Was it greed? Was it rebellion? Or was it just pure malice? Cliff was surely in the process of finding out, but the rest of Quark wasn't going to sit in their seats twiddling their thumbs either.

"Marietta, so was there anything else from the report?" asked a curious Mirage as she sat in her seat on the bridge once the Diplo sped out of the Klausian system at cruising speed.

"Not much else, but ever since the Federation has been able to get one over the Alliance with the assault on their shields, it seems an Alliance base located just outside the regions of the gamma sector has raised many suspicions." Marietta informed while looking up some data on a computer screen next to the navigation panel.

"An Alliance base?"

Steeg joined in the conversation to inform Mirage of the specific details, "According to the Federation, the Inner Alliance has kept records of these so-called synchronological experiment data in their stations. Supposedly, this base is no different which the Federation discovered only recently."

"How could the Federation find out something like that?" questioned Maria.

"That location is known as the Alpha base, and it was once claimed by the Panglactic Federation so I guess they most likely have kept some records of that place even after the Alliance seized it as one of its primary bases about two years back." Steeg answered.

Marietta nodded before adding to his knowledge, "Unlike the other bases however, this one doesn't seem to serve any other purpose other than acting as some type of storage place for the Alliance. They have minimal security too, it's like it's been isolated for some reason."

"Now I wonder why that is..." Mirage pondered in deep thoughts.

"If they've really got all that stuff on the Alliance, then I think it's a golden oppurtunity for us." Lieber mentioned giving his opinion on the matter. "What do you think, capt'n?"

This could possibly speeden things up a little, and make things easier on everyone hopefully. Mirage instantly agreed finding no harm in the matter, "Agreed... I suppose it won't hurt to check this place out." Even then, Mirage wondered how the Alliance could be so careless and allow trespassers into one of their primary bases. Surely, they'd have to watch their step in there... after all, it was the first ever Alliance territory Quark was going to walk into.

------------------------

Sergo, a resident of Klaus III, was one of Quark's most laid back members leading the security team. Replacing Lancar, many Quark members had a lot of expectations from this man who seemed to be satisfied simply by getting the job done. In Cliff's eyes however, no one could possibly replace Lancar... no matter how well anyone handles the job. While taking a stroll down the aisle of the bottom deck of the ship, Sergo managed to spot a beautiful woman dressed in dark violet robes in the corner just outside one of the guest quarters. It was Misty Lear.

Misty's head was still spinning on the one name... which was Wakou. It was so long ago, how could she possibly remember something like this? This Wakou was the cause of the Alliance, who could possibly turn out to be their archenemy. To lead such a large terrorizing organization, he must have been through a lot and his motivation was possibly bigger than no other.

"You there... Misty, right?" a voice suddenly shook her as she noticed a young man with a headband strapped around his head standing tall just a few feet across from her. "Hey I-I was just..."

"Excuse meee! Coming through!" Welch appeared just that instant as she rushed past both Sergo and Misty bumping them out of her way as she dashed into the guest quarters, "You better come in here too!" she exclaimed pulling Misty by her arm into the room as well before slamming the door shut.

"What's going on?" Misty asked as she studied the expression on Welch's face. "That excitement, the anxiety, and that unhappy look on your face perplexes me."

"Hey, you should watch out for some of the people here! I have been watching that guy for some time now and let me tell you right now... he's baaaad news!" Welch whispered loud enough for the voice to reach outside the room.

"Don't be silly, I can take care of myself quite well."

The young pigtailed Elicoorian shook her head along with the her handstick tapping the desk beside her with it, "Sure you could probably be able to defend yourself with alchemy, but who's gonna be there for you while you cast your spells, huh!"

"Th-That is..." stuttered Misty.

"So that settles it! I'm going to have to stick by you at all times!" Welch said as she shook her fists excitedly.

"sigh As you wish."

"By the way... i've never heard of alchemy boasting such an offensive power. How do you manage to do that...? I can put a list of all the famous alchemists i've known... Mackwell, Roselyn, and of course the famous Ansala but neither I nor anyone has witnessed alchemists do that kind of stuff!" asked Welch curiously.

"It's really all just an intuitive thing. It's not really the strength or the intelligence that makes you a better alchemist, but rather the range of your awareness. So really, the more aware you are of your surroundings, the more success you will have with alchemy." Misty stated as she sat on one of the soft cushioned seats inside the quarters.

"Wow, that sounds a lot complicated than I thought. You think I could ever become an alchemist?" asked Welch as her eyes filled with hope.

Misty only smiled in return, "Sure... anyone could do it if they tried hard enough. I was only able to learn it because of my master many years ago on my home planet. But... he's no more now. And that's why-..."

Welch, lost in her own thoughts at the time, didn't notice that she had interrupted Misty due to a concern which she wanted to bring up. "Yeah... you did say you wanted to go along with Quark so you can get something in return right?" said Welch. "What is it? Maybe I could help!"

"Well, then... have you ever heard of the Spirit Stone?" Misty questioned as she placed a cold hand on Welch's forearm.

"Spirit Stone?"

"Yes, the famous stone which is a common term for all alchemists. Many rumors have been produced about the mysterious powers it boasts, and although it's not as valued as a high-priced relic such as the Philosopher's Stone, many believe the Spirit Stone allows an alchemist to perform tasks which people deem impossible."

After thinking thoroughly, a nervous Welch replied, "N-No, I can't really say i've heard of it..."

"sigh It's alright. I'm slowly starting to get my answers now anyway..." Misty shook her head as she turned her eyes over back to Welch. "Don't worry, i'll let you know once I do."

------------------------

Both gamma and zeta sectors were not under the Federation's authority and a fair distance from the Sol System which caused both to be in opposite ends of each other. Due to this, the trip to the Alpha base was expected to be rather long, passing through many borders and planetary systems on the way. One planet, known as Grix, isolated for many years and not located in any planetary system, seemed to peak Xeim's interest. Xeim was present on the bridge, and when he heard Marietta announce that they were just about ready to pass through the border of planet Grix, he requested Mirage to set coordinates for that planet.

"Pull over? But why?" Mirage asked, puzzled at Xeim's request.

"There is something that needs to be done... some unfinished business. And this has to do with the Alliance, don't worry... I won't take much of your time." he replied confusing everyone even more with his response.

"Are you sure, Xeim? What could an isolated planet like this have to do with the Alliance?" questioned Marietta turning her head towards Xeim to look for a response.

"Grix, i've known that place for a long time. It definitely holds some significance." said Xeim. "Of course, i'm not going to push you all into fulfilling my request."

"What do you think, captain?" Steeg asked with a doubtful look on his face.

Mirage sighed, _'It's not like we have such an important task in our hands right now, it wouldn't hurt to see what's here. And he mentioned the Alliance'_. She didn't find there to be enough reasoning to head for planet Grix herself, but something inside her pushed Mirage to make the decision she was about to, "Alright then... head for planet Grix's orbit immediately."

"Roger, captain."

Xeim gave Mirage a look of gratitude and relief at the same time. This wasn't the first time Mirage had agreed to his odd requests either. First, it was allowing Xeim to join Quark despite the risks they were ready to take. And now, it was going to the planet known as Grix which no one has ever heard having any connection with the Alliance. Despite all that, they were going to look further and investigate more on this mysterious location.

Upon, arriving on Grix as Mirage, Xeim, Maria, Lieber, Welch, and Misty were transported to an area that stretched out for miles without anything significant in sight, the Diplo was ordered to stay in its position in case of an emergency. The ground was rough and rocky, covered with small red-colored rocks which resembled the soil on the Rashfall continent of Vanguard III.

Welch stepped forward before stretching her arms, "Whew! Seemed like we were in there forever!" she yawned before rubbing her eyes. "So now what place is this? It looks sorta creepy if you ask me..."

"What is it, Misty?" Maria asked noticing the distressed and worrisome look on the beautiful Misty's face.

"This place holds an unusual aura. It feels so... foreign." answered the lady with the dark hooded robe.

"Man, just hearing that sends chills up my spine!" Lieber shuddered. "How can ya tell, anyway?"

"I can feel its presence. Many wandering souls that seem to be coming from a specific source..." replied Misty once again.

Mirage stepped forward and took a moment to peek in all four directions of the area they were in. "All that definitely sounds somewhat familiar. But what is the Alliance planning to achieve in a place like this?"

Xeim paced a few steps ahead of the rest of the group as he turned around and gave them a concentrated look. "I have a confession to make. The presence of the Alliance on this planet while not impossible, is actually doubtful. The truth is, I needed to get to this place for a long time... I have matters to settle here. Sorry for lying, but I couldn't find a better excuse than the Alliance."

"Say what!" Lieber blurted out angrily.

"Xeim, what are you talking about?" a confused Mirage asked as she looked into Xeim's eyes. "What in the world do you plan on doing here? We can't afford to putter around at a time like this."

"Yes, I realize that." Xeim reasoned as he hung his head. "Like, I promised... I didn't plan on taking up any of your time. That's why i'm going to do this alone, don't worry about me."

"So what? You're just going to walk away?" Lieber questioned raising an eyebrow.

An impatient Maria didn't take this matter too lightly either, "You know... coming all this way did already waste our time. As for worrying about you, I think we're more concerned about what you're brewing up here, especially sinced you mentioned the Alliance."

"Don't misjudge me. Look... I didn't quite plan things to go this way either, but I have no choice in this matter. I must go. You all, on the other hand, should return to the Diplo and settle your own matters. I know we've been quite some ways together, but it's unfortunate that we have to part ways here." the scarfed mysterious man spoke as he turned his back to them.

"Xeim, wait...!" Mirage shouted as he started to pace even further out of their sight, but she didn't get much of a response.

"Thanks for everything you've done, all of you..." Xeim whispered not willing to stop even on Mirage's orders, who technically wasn't his superior anymore now that he was about to abandon them... although 'abandon' may not have been the word Xeim would prefer. The Quark members looked in astonishment as they saw Xeim vanish out of their sight in a mysterious fashion.

"Hmph. I always knew he was bad news." Lieber grumbled.

"What a weirdo. What's he got on his mind anyway!" Welch asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Come to think of it... I don't think we ever figured what he was upto all this time. He just seemed to be someone who tagged along with us." mentioned the blue-haired Maria.

"She's right! We have to be careful with these people we carry around in our ship from now on!" he said throwing a suspicious eye towards both Welch and Misty.

Welch jumped from his comment and shot back, "Hey! Don't look at me! I haven't got anything up _my_ sleeve so stop giving me that look!"

"Mirage, let's just head back to the Diplo. We'll worry about this later." suggested Maria.

Mirage, silent and dumbfounded, just turned her head the other side and gave another small sigh.

------------------------

Grix was once known to be a civilized planet with a low-level technology years ago. However, a mysterious group slaughtered all the habitants of the planet not too long ago destructing the life on the planet almost completely. Nothing was really done about this at the time since neither the Federation nor the Aldians bothered to meddle with matters on Grix which had by then turned into a totally lifeless planet. Thunderstorms were nothing new to Grix due to the large amount of moisture in the atmosphere and the cold air temperature. In fact, Xeim could hear the roars of the thunders in the cloud already... there was about to be a heavy rainfall. As the droplets fell on the dark small rocks and the small twigs on the ground, he tried to quicken things up a little more.

_'I know it was somewhere here... I better hurry!'_ Xeim placed both his hands over his head to block the raindrops from falling on his head. There was a large boulder in a distance next to a dirty pond. There were several pieces leftover of the destructed buildings that had been struck by lightning quite some time ago. What Xeim saw next just behind the boulder shocked the life out of him. He noticed a small swirly void open up just in front of him. It looked as if the area was being stretched by an unimaginable force. It looked horribly familiar to Xeim, and the void soon started creating small ripples around the center of the area as a figure slowly approached out of the void as if it had been warped to its current area. There was no doubt that the figure standing in front of him was a female demon which had just taken a physical form in front of his eyes.

"Who's there!" Xeim yelled in a deep voice which was muffled slightly by his scarf. He quickly put up his guard focusing on what was happening in front of him carefully.

The figure quickly stood up straight from its kneeling position and struck a mocking pose towards Xeim before letting out a bewitching laugh, "Oh ho ho ho ho! I had figured some peasant was lurking around this area and my suspicions were absolutely correct! Although I could have sworn there were more than just one."

"So another demon, huh? And I suppose you're here to try and stop me as well!" said Xeim making sure not to drop his guard for even a second.

"That is what i'm ordered to do of course, silly. You made a verrry poor choice to come into this place!"

Xeim nodded and smirked cunningly as he threw a look of despair towards the demon, "Then it's just as I thought..."

"Oh ho ho ho! Don't give it another thought, filthy human! Someone of your breed could not possibly stand a chance against me. Wouldn't you agree?" the demon asked in a very comforting, yet teasing tone.

"Why don't we put that to a test and start by this...! Force Wave!" Xeim yelled at the top of his lungs as he held both his palms forward generating a swirling wind in front of him blowing the female demon out of his way. As Xeim began to leap forward, the slender demon was quick in pulling herself back up with her arms and acrobatically sending her right foot straight into Xeim's jaw knocking him back down onto the ground. She darted quickly behind her opponent as she fluttered her large wings before wrapping them around Xeim completely locking him and leaving him breathless as he stood helplessly.

"Mmmff!" Xeim struggled to escape from the hold but could not find a possible method of escaping from her move. The giggles were only making it harder for him to bear the pain as an a surge of anger rushed through his body. Without much room to draw his fist back, Xeim was able to throw a light jab towards her abdomen weakening her hold a little. This allowed the man to strike his elbow onto her with a deafening blow. As, the winged demon released Xeim completely from her wings, Xeim followed it up by leaping over her just barely and grabbing her head along with him on his way down delivering a powerful neckbreaker sending her to the ground. Thinking, that move did the job... Xeim gave her another kick to make sure she stayed down before walking past her without saying a word.

"Ho ho! You are strong, boy..." the demon spoke before getting back up on her feet to Xeim's surprise. "But I won't let you take this any further! Radial Shot!" the demon's fingerstips began to glow a red light as her eyes started filling with the same aura. Then, the next instant... she flung her fingers releasing five energy shots from each of her fingertips which hit Xeim like a flurry of bullets. Being half Klausian, the bullets didn't annihilate him instantly, but he instead took a fall right away onto the ground laying helplessly. Other than coughing out blood onto his scarf, there wasn't much else Xeim could do at this point, not even flinch. But the female demon on the other hand was almost suddenly taken down that instant as she suffered a devastating blow behind her almost splitting her backbone in two as she fell down. The impact felt like a large blade had just struck her on the back as the object had fallen on her. As it descended, it left a red fiery streak in its tracks like a meteor.

"Aerial assault!" descended the Klausian leader of Quark, who was the last person Xeim expected to see. As he slowly wiped the blood off his mouth he looked on ahead as Misty and Maria followed their leader. And then came Lieber and Welch just behind. Everyone was here and they had surrounded the terribly wounded demon who was now kneeling on the ground helplessly. She looked at everyone around her with an alarmed expression as she pressed her glossy lips together nervously.

"Ugh... hey! This was a trap! You call that a fair fight!" the demon yelled as she put one hand on her stomach in agony while still kneeling on the ground on one leg.

"Xeim! Are you okay!" Mirage ran towards Xeim's aid who in return didn't like what was going on.

"Think we should take him back to the sick bay?" asked Lieber.

Xeim retorted in an unusually aggresive fashion, "No! I'm fine as I am right now..."

While all the attention was spanning around Xeim and his well-being, the female demon found her chance and began to retreat in a secular area where she gave another laugh. "Oh ho ho ho! Well since you seem very keen on entering into the realm, why not come inside and take a nice little peek at your deaths yourself!" she spoke before a similar void, which Xeim saw earlier, appeared just behind her as she slowly vanished into it. The void, however, didn't disappear this time. It looked like a whirlpool in mid-air which instead, grew wider and wider as if to welcome the group and to follow the female demon's trails. It was distorting the area within the void, stretching it and then creating ripples once again. Xeim got up on his feet once again and began walking towards the swirly void ignoring everyone else as if they no longer meant anything to him.

"What are you doing! Don't step into that thing!" shouted Lieber as he slowly walked in front of him to get in his way.

"And why's that?" Xeim questioned solemnly.

"It could be a trap for all you know."

Xeim simply shrugged and took a good look at everyone in the group, "I thought I told you guys that i'll settle matters here."

"You didn't expect us to just abandon you here, now did you?" Mirage asked with a smirk. "Especially since your training is far from over. And until then, you're sticking with us, understand?"

"Yeah, I do." sighed Xeim as he confirmed Mirage's order. "But I kind of figured it would be only for the better when I walked out on all of you earlier."

Mirage looked him in the eye and spoke in a gentle and compassionate voice. "Oh, right. About that..."

Mirage paced a few steps directly towards Xeim before stopping right ahead of him. Suddenly, Xeim felt something that he had never gotten a chance to before. And those were Mirage's knuckles which dug into his right cheek. The impact of the punch proved just how physically fit she was for a leader, and Xeim was just in the process of realizing that as he suffered a punch that brought him to the ground. Meanwhile, Mirage simply stood in her place firmly crossing her arms and looking away with a frustrated look on her face.

"You had some nerve to pull a stunt like that!" yelled Mirage strictly.

Xeim layed on the ground rubbing his cheek from pain as he let out a slight moan. "Ugh! That one almost knocked my head off!"

"I'll also say it was definitely quite rude of you, but seeing as you got caught up in trouble here as well... this place has started to raise my suspicions as well." mentioned Maria.

"Yeah, whatever it may be... we're in this together now." Misty nodded.

"Heh. And to think... by now I should have known you all would have dragged yourself back here anyway. Although rest assured, you won't really like the sound of it... but this is more of a personal matter." said Xeim as he stood back up and looked towards the void ahead of him once again which was even larger now.

"Well whatever it is, it's definitely a lot spookier now. Who was that girl anyway?" Lieber scratched his head in confusion as he looked on at the void as well.

"It looked very much like a demon from what I saw," answered Mirage. "Although I don't quite know what its purpose would be in a place like this. It can't be just coincidence that both her and Xeim would end up in a planet like Grix. Maybe you could elaborate a little more on this, Xeim?"

Xeim sighed and let out a huge breath as he slumped slowly and shook his head, "It's a long story but i'll try to make it short. This void that appears before us is known as a space-time vortex, which utilizes a special type of warp to transport beings between this universe and its parallel universe."

Maria threw a puzzled look at him. "Parallel universe? Are you talking about...?"

"Yeah, Daemonium. Of course, these portals are much more commonly seen in Daemonium than here. And for some reason, that female demon is allowing us to use this vortex at our own will. I admit that this could possibly be a trap, but i'm willing to take the risks."

"Daemonium? A space-time vortex? What are you trying to do anyway, Xeim?" an irritated Welch asked with a slight does of fear running in her heart.

"This is the place that once used to be my home. Of course it's just a pile of rubble to me now, nothing more." he noted as everyone looked at him in surprise. This man was actually an inhabitant of the parallel universe Daemonium?

"Huh! Are you trying to say that you're..." spoke Maria in a shocked tone.

"Wh-what?" Lieber exclaimed taking a few steps back. "But you d-don't look anything like a demon...!"

Xeim looked straight towards the void once again as he took a few steps towards it. The ripples were much larger now as if it were waiting impatiently for their arrival. Deamonium was the home of the demons which was known for its incredibly uncanny nature. Every aspect including the inhabitants there resided in spiritual matter, whereas the universe they were currently in was consisted of everything that existed in physical form. This could be one of the few possible explanations of the demons' strange behaviours such as teleporting to small distances in no time. Xeim acted a little anxious as he slowly stepped towards the translucent portal.

"I'll explain everything soon, right now we have to hurry. I'm going in there, so I guess you're all coming along too, right?" Without turning back, Xeim stepped over into the void creating even more ripples on the surface before entering the realm of the demons.


	30. The Other Side

**Chapter 30**

**The Other Side**

The prison cell welcomed the little child with a cold, empty air as the guard tossed him into the cell with a disgusted look on his face. It had been hours before the guard had left him all alone locked in the dark cell, but he could still remember the look on his face everytime the guard had to glance over at him. Now it was this demon in front of the prison cell who looked like he wanted to negotiate with him. Who was he? And why did he just appear here all of a sudden? This demon wanted something from the child and if it meant getting out of this god-awful prison in return, then why not?

"Don't be frightened, little one..." the demon spoke sympathetically as he stared at the tears running down the child's cheeks. "Tell me your name."

"Wh-who are you? ...And ho-how are you standing l-like that...?" stuttered the little boy as he looked at the pale skinned figure through the bars floating right in front of him. "And how d-did you get here!"

The amused demon chuckled in return as he spoke, "Too many questions, my boy... you ask too many questions. But don't worry... i'll tell you everything. Everything you want to know. So tell me your name."

"It's... Hakhim." the child hesitated before answering, "Now what is it that you want with me?"

Ignoring the question, the demon simply pondered about the name the child had just told him. "Hakhim... my, they'd be happy with that one. It's a lovely name! So Hakhim... the reason i'm here is because we both want the same thing. Which is for you to be free, isn't that right?"

Suddenly, the expression in Hakhim's eyes changed from fear and sadness as a light of hope gleamed in his eyes. "Y-You'll take me away from here? But how...? There are all those guards and..." he started to speak but tears filled his eyes once again just at the thought. The demon simply kneeled down before him and lent him a hand in between the bars.

"Listen, Hakhim... I know everything about what's happened here. My name is Alphonso, and i'm from a place far away from this world. I'm here to take you along with me."

"But wh-why...?" asked Hakhim as he squinted while looking at the demon's almost-colorless face.

The demon sighed before giving his quick summary, "I know this may sound odd but the ruler of our clan, Zaphir, and his wife need you with us. You may not know, but us demons are born with the curse of never being able to bear a child due to our nature. This is the reason the hierarchy never goes down through generations, but is instead unanymously chosen as the well-wisher of our desires."

"A d-demon...!" Hakhim responded frighteningly. He didn't quite follow what Alphonso was trying to explain but the thought of a demon standing right in front of him was enough to divert his attention.

Alphonso, however, went on without looking at Hakhim once. "But one of our kind is bent upon our destruction and plots to overthrow both the chief and his wife so he can reign in our world. We can't allow that to happen due to his ideals... that's why if anything were to happen to the chief, we need you as the heir. You're only human, that's why you can be considered Zaphir's son."

"But why me...?"

"Don't be silly..." the floating demon shook his head solemnly. "We both need each other. You're alone, with no one to depend on, and no one to feed you... we will give you all that. In return, we only want you to come with us."

This demon wanted the child to be an heir to their demon clan? How could he make such a decision? Not only was he just a child, but he wasn't even a demon. At this point, however, the only thing that was in his mind was to escape this Klausian prision cell. But that wasn't going to be easy at all.

"How will we get past the guards...?" asked the little boy bringing up the same topic.

"Don't worry, I already took care of them." Alphonso spoke as he drew out a bloodlusted sword. "Step back!"

He struck his sword towards the locked cell, but as expected there was no effect on the strong cell. Just then... the blade began to emit a strong aura which looked as if it was sucking everything inside it. The demon quickly drew his blade back with a sudden pull and broke open the gate of the cell with it.

"Now come on! Let's hurry!" he said as he pulled out Hakhim by one of his arms.

"B-b-but..."

"Don't worry. Once we get there... i'll explain everything."

------------------------

It was the first time Xeim had seen the dark emptiness fill the air which stretched out for miles after a long, long time. The air was odorless, as if it wasn't even there in the first place. At first sight, it didn't look that much different from Grix. There was the same darkness, same silence, but one thing was sure... Grix was nowhere near as empty as this. Xeim recalled many events that brought him to this place and why he was even here in the first place. Mirage, meanwhile, was now beginning to wonder who Xeim really was. Why didn't she think about this before? She always took it upon herself to understand her students both physically and mentally at the dojo. Not being able to do so was a sign of a weakness for any mentor who doesn't understand his pupil. Mirage was successful in doing so with all of her students, but at this point she began to doubt that about Xeim. Maybe she had never understood him all this time. How could she possibly teach him anything if she wasn't even capable of that? Ever since he mentioned having relations with Daemonium, everyone was curious about Xeim's origins and what he really wanted out of all this.

"So where are we headed for, Xeim?" Maria asked giving Xeim a look of doubt. She insisted they head back to the Diplo at first, but Mirage didn't want to leave Xeim to do all this alone. Maria was known for her blunt responses and strict actions not letting emotions get in her way and all these qualities made her to be quite a formidable leader of Quark... possibly the best. Not even Mirage or the joking Cliff could match to her capabilities, Mirage felt she was more suited as a leader inside the dojo rather than Quark. However, Maria's refusal to take part within Quark was still apprehensible.

"We're going to try and head into the ruins of my clan." Xeim spoke baffling everyone with his words.

"What kind of clan? And what's this about you being a demon?" asked the punk-haired Lieber.

Xeim didn't stop in his steps, he simply trudged on as if the questions didn't mean anything to him. It wasn't a question Xeim would hear someone asking everyday, but he still felt no harm in telling his comrades about the incidents in his past. "When I was young... a demon known as Alphonso brought me to the realm of Daemonium in order to protect our clan from falling to bits from the clutches of a certain demon."

"That demon was Rodrigue, right?" Mirage asked while crossing her arms.

"How did you know!" a shocked Xeim gave her a sudden look.

"Rodrigue... I noticed he mentioned something during the fight. I can't seem to remember everything that well, but I think it was about you." mentioned Welch quietly.

Xeim nodded in his usual way adjusting his scarf, "Yes... it was indeed Rodrigue. Due to his intentions, both Zaphir and Karin... who were my step-parents at the time feared Rodrigue might pull some strings to take over our clan. That's why they needed an heir, someone who they could call their son and someone they could toss the baton too if something were to happen to them. And that was me."

"They dragged you all the way here!" asked Maria.

"Well, 'drag' isn't really the right word but let's just say we had a deal so I agreed to come with them."

"That's all nice and dandy, but what exactly are we goin' after here?" Lieber questioned.

"Isn't it odd that Rodrigue, the only remaining member of the Outer Alliance, was spared? And why did he run off in the first place? Rodrigue had gained the Alliance's trust for a reason, i'm sure. I need to know everything, I can't just live without finding out. And when I do, i'll give him something he's deserved for a long time." Xeim said while clenching his fist tightly.

"And you think he's here?" Mirage asked.

"I'm sure of it."

The rocky narrow path which led them to a higher area seemed to be composed of totally different elements from Grix even though it had the same rough surface. It acted like some sort of bridge over a huge dark opening that didn't seem to end. It was almost like the area beneath the land was a bottomless abyss. Whatever it was, none of them dared to even attempt to figure out what was down there as they kept walking impatiently.

------------------------

Hakhim just felt more and more uneasy at every passing moment before he arrived on the realm of Daemonium accompanied by Alphonso. But as he went further, it was also harder for him to convince himself that he was better off where he was. Maybe it was the same cold, empty air in the area that made him feel like it was no different than the prison cell. Swallowing his emotions, he followed Alphonso to a large facility in the middle of a platform where he would be taken to see the chief demon of their clan.

"This is the one?" Zaphir, the chief, asked giving a look of doubt to the little scarred boy.

"Indeed it is." answered Alphonso.

Zaphir's wife, Karin, was taken aback just as she shot a glance towards Hakhim and spoke with a look of dejection, "B-b-but he's-..."

"Yes, I know." Alphonso replied bluntly.

Zaphir sighed once again at the sight and threw a firm look at the other demon, "Send him inside for now, i'll need to have a word with you about this."

"Tell me, what is your name er... young man?" asked Karin a little nervously.

"Hakhim."

Zaphir gave his inferior a look of impatience, "Alphonso..."

Getting one of the members within the facility to escord the young child to his quarters where he would have to wait for Zaphir's decision, Alphonso attempted to persuade the chief restating their situation. "Zaphir, I can understand your concerns but once the rebels start hearing about this it may start to get even worse. We'll have to make everyone understand."

"I suppose we'll have to get used to it... but i'm still not sure." Zaphir sighed as he slumped down slowly.

------------------------

The ruins of the demonic clan compelled Xeim to reminisce his time back at the time when he first arrived in the area. It was shaped and figured almost exactly the same way, even the same rocky platform was there, but yet it was still so different. Yet again, Xeim could sense the emptiness in the area as he looked in the far vast regions of the ruins that stretched out miles before the platform on which the clan's quarters stood. It was had been half blown to bits and looked as if it had been isolated for a long time. Just as they started to pace past the area towards the platform, dark figures began appearing right in front of them. As Mirage looked on, she noticed that the same figures began appearing behind them, and then beside them... they surrounded everyone and as they came closer, they looked quite familiar. They were demons, and they teleported to the area just like Rodrigue had in the Pesotto Forest on Vanguard. One of the figures that appeared before them, was indeed, Rodrigue himself. His pale blue face sparkled in the dark while his silver hair draped over his colorless skin.

"Ah... my. If it isn't you again!" Rodrigue snickered as he looked at his companions in amusement. "Forgive my rudeness, but had you informed me you were coming here earlier, perhaps I could have provided you a much warmer welcome."

"Cut the crap, Rodrigue!" an irritated Lieber gestured.

"Hah, I knew i'd found you here. And it's about time we settled this..." Xeim spoke as he stood out in front. Rodrigue threw one glance at him, it took him a few seconds to remember everything, but once he did... he let out a burst of laughter. Slowly, his other companions that surrounded the members of Quark joined in the laughter.

"Bahahahaa! Well, well... if it isn't little Hakhim! I somehow knew you were going to try and find your way through to me again. So tell me, are you here to suffer the same consequences as that old bag and the filthy wretch!"

Xeim did his best to fend off the taunts and ignore the jeers towards him, he tried to concentrate the situation around him instead. But it was no use... Xeim burst in anger and tossed a downward overhead smash towards the filthy demon as he jumped a couple of meters above the ground. "Grrr... i'm gonna kill you!" Just as he was about to feel his hand on the head of the demon, however, Rodrigue only left a trail of dust behind him before he teleported a few feet away from him.

"Oops! Looks like you missed, Hakhim! Hahahahaha!" More taunts and laughter. However, the others couldn't take it any longer either. But just as they started to advance towards the demon, Rodrigue simply backed away. "I'd love to stick around and play a little longer but it won't be fair if I take all the fun and my little cretins just watch, now would it?" Suddenly, the other demonic creatures which resembled gremlins surrounded the group before Rodrigue teleported off with another loud laughter.

"Damn! There's far too many of them! Let's get away from here!" Xeim advised as he began running past the area at full speed. The rest followed at his command, due to their unfamiliarity with Daemonium.

"Heheheeee! Firebolt!" the gremlins chimed as they began to dig their small tridents into the ground casting spells to hit their foes. However, Mirage and the others were able to escape from any drastic impacts from the firebolts that flew in their direction. Just as they found cover, and the area seemed clear, everyone placed their eyes on Xeim who took a while to look back in return.

"Man, we can forget about getting outta here now! Thanks a lot, big guy!" Lieber whined.

"I never asked you to come along in the first place..." was the response from the scarfed man.

Lieber didn't like the reply he got, so he shot back again. "You wanna start something!"

"Stop it, you two." Mirage said raising her hand to smack anyone who would dare to say another word after her. She settled her hand back down after both Xeim and Lieber fell silent once again and spoke. "Xeim, first of all... what is Rodrigue after? And why did your clan seclude him anyway?"

Xeim crossed his arms and took a deep breath. He looked pained about something but as usual, no one would be able to understand what was on his mind at the time. "Have you guys heard of the demon king, Asmodeus?"

"Asmodeus... he was once known as the demon king, wasn't he?" Lieber questioned as everyone threw a sarcastic look towards him.

"Duh! That's what he just said, you dope!" shouted Welch.

"You mean the former ruler of this universe who was vanquished years ago?" Mirage asked ignoring the mindless banter and cutting straight to the point.

Xeim confirmed her response with a nod, "Yeah... his ultimate goal was to fill the hearts of all humans with rage and anger. He was also the source of a deadly virus that was spreading over one of the underdeveloped planets years ago. These events caused him to be slain in order to get rid of the virus once and for all."

"I stumbled upon something like that in the Federation records during my research on the Diplo." said Maria who was beginning to see light in Xeim's elaboration more and more.

"After his demise, Daemonium was never ruled by a dictator or a king. Instead, they divided into many clans since now that Asmodeus was no longer in authority, we had our own different mindsets and different goals, free to fulfill our own desires. Clashes and battles had taken place in the struggle to become the next lord of the Daemonium realm. And this is why the clans were formed. But these clans weren't enough, supposedly soon after the fall of Asmodeus... a group of rebel had been formed shortly. These rebels demanded that due to everyone's different ideals, no one was fit to be king. Asmodeus was the only ruler to ever exist and it was their responsibility to only follow that. So while the demons didn't feel the need to interfere with the humans unless necessary, the group of rebels wanted to follow the path of Asmodeus and continue supplying the hearts of all humans with vengeful desires. Rodrigue was one of the rebels who had his eyes set upon not only our clan, but to become the next ruler of this world."

"And...? Did he succeed?" asked Maria curiously.

Xeim shook his head in a slight disappointment. "I don't know... but he murdered both Zaphir and Karin ruthlessly and was after me as well since I was the heir. I couldn't stick around and keep looking after this place so I was somehow able to make my way out of this place forever... until now."

"That's terrible..." Mirage whispered with a sorrowful expression on her face. It was all beginning to fall in place now. Xeim wasn't here just to follow Rodrigue and pay him back for his terrible deeds, but Mirage could tell that he wanted to see his home once again. These were places Xeim once feared just at the sight of it, but in time he began to grew fond of the locality. As empty and shallow as it may be, home is home. If there was anything invaluable Xeim considered about himself, it would definitely have to be the memories of his past.

"Hey! Look oout!" Welch screamed as she noticed the same dark-colored gremlins dart in their direction with an enormous speed. They were able to catch up to them in no time and it doesn't look like they were just going to let every one of the get away.

"Gravitation!" Misty chanted as an emanation of energy befell the ground below the enemies and held them in place as if the ground was pulling them underneath it exerting a massive amount of force. "Quickly! Let's move on now."

With no time to awe at Misty's abilities as an alchemist, everyone followed Misty's suggestion and left the pack of gremlins behind to head towards the rocky platform and entered the ruins of the large facility.

------------------------

The door to one of the quarters which Hakhim was resting in burst open as if a bolt of thunder had just cracked it open. Startled from the impact, Hakhim quickly got onto his feet to see Alphonso standing in the doorway looking panicked and helpless.

"Alphonso! What's wrong!" asked Hakhim as he quickly ran to his aid and saw a large gash on his shoulder which he clasped with his other hand tightly from pain. He was barely able to speak as he tried desperately to look at Xeim in the eyes.

"Ha...khim... get out of here...! Quickly!"

He noticed his heart began to pace faster and faster after listening to the demon's words. "Alphonso! What are you saying? What happened to you!"

Grunting and moaning, Alphonso tried with all his strength to give Hakhim an answer. "Th-they fooled us... the allies... th-they were in collaboration with those b-bastards... d-dammit! Ugh! The re-bels are already here n-now... get out b-before they get you!"

"What about... mom? and dad?" Hakhim asked but he could already guess what had happened to them from Alphonso's expression just as a tear started to trickle down his cheek.

"I'm sorry... Hakhim..."

"No..." Hakhim looked down as he shook his head vigorously. "I can't run away! What about our clan!"

"D-Don't worry about it... i'm sorry to-to have dragged you into all of-f thiss Hakhim... Zaph-ir and Karin..." Alphonso was beginning to cough out blood at this point as he layed down on the ground on Hakhim's lap helplessly. "They l-loved you..."

"No... I know they didn't like me, but they still took care of me. That's why I loved them so much." Hakhim responded boldly as he began to wipe off the teards on his dry cheeks.

"No... r-remember the task Zaphir left you l-l-last time...! He... gave it to... y-you because... both him and Karin... w-were beginning to love you... ugh!"

"Alphonso!" Hakhim looked down at the demon as he heard his last words before he fell to his death. Alphonso was no longer breathing. Hakhim instantly ran outside and decided to take the rear exit which hadn't been used in years. Cobwebs and a pile of mist covered the area like it was a house of antiques. But just as he was able to escape from the clan's facility, he was instantly spotted.

"He's there! Don't let that human get away!" a high-pitched voice hit Hakhim's ears. The now fifteen year old Hakhim began to pace past the endless area of the clan's realm trying desperately to get away from this place once and for all. He didn't want everyone in there to suffere, he thought about heading back... but Hakhim knew, he wouldn't be able to do anything. He couldn't do anything to save Inus. He couldn't do anything to save his mother, Jina. He couldn't do anything to save Zaphir and Karin. What could he possibly do now? Nothing!

"You think you can get away!" a different voice could be heard. It looked like it was still coming from the same amount of distance. No matter how fast or how far he ran, it was as if there was no use of it at all. They would eventually get him once he's exhausted and slaughter him. The threats and taunts could be heard once again at a much closer distance at this time. Was he getting slower? It must be the exhaustion. Just when he thought of throwing away any hope he had left and just dropping himself where he was to take the last few moments of his life to get some rest, a thik void began to form straight in front of him. It was shaped like a whirlpool and it looked oddly familiar. It was a space-time vortex! Just like the one he had spotted years ago... this was his chance now. Thrilled and scared at the same time, he would be able to jump into the vortex and get out of the area once and forever. And that would be the last thing the boy known as Hakhim would have to do.


	31. Spill it, Hakhim!

**Chapter 31**

**Spill it, Hakhim!**

The ruins still had some of the monuments that Xeim could remember seeing for the longest time in his life. Some were half-broken while others were still in mint condition... but covered in a pile of dust probably due to a bad storm that took in the place. The clan's facility was large itself as expected and while it didn't have the height, it stretched down for miles beneath the ground. The lowest level was known as the vault room which was even below the basement and the prison cells. Xeim could notice Rodrigue's presence somewhere around him just like the way he had felt back in the sanctuary.

"This place sure could use some repairing... cough" Lieber sneezed as a pile of dust go caught in his nose. "Do these demons only know how to wreck things or can they actually try and patch things up for a change?"

"Come on... let's head down." said Xeim as they continued to walk through the main hall of the facility. There was a small crack in the walls which lead to a small staircase which stretched down for miles.

"How far do these things go anyway? Geez, you think we should head back!" asked Welch with a slight fear in her voice.

"Don't be impatient. Once we get past these stairs, we'll reach the vault room in no time. I need to make sure it's still there..." Xeim whispered to himself since no one else could understand what he had meant by that. Without another word being said, the marched past the dusty area after going down the staircases and entered an empty room where the only light coming into the room was from the openings of the ripped walls allowing everyone to see atleast a little bit what was down here in this antique place.

"So is this what we're here for?" Mirage asked as she spread her arms gesturing to the area they were in. Xeim, who didn't seem to be bothered by everyone else's presence around him looked straight ahead of him at a small piece of figure which was covered by a rag of cloths. The rags seemed to be covered in a dirt and a dark red color similar to that of blood. Mirage, Maria, Lieber, Misty, and Welch looked on as they saw Xeim lift the rags of cloth over the figure which was positioned in the middle of the dark, empty vault. The figure looked as if it had been glued to the ground or maybe it was just part of the ground. Mirage figured it would probably be a grave of his father and mother... and although that wasn't really it, she wasn't too far off. Xeim revealed a large sword in which the blade was covered in bright red aura much like the demonic bloodlusted swords they had seen almost every demon warrior carry. The emission of energy from the sword brought a new light into the dark room as Xeim clasped the handle of the blade with both his hands. It was about two-thirds the size of Xeim himself and the massive blade was jammed into the small platform beneath it which had writings inscripted on it in the front. It read: '_Herein lie the souls of Zaphir and Karin_'.

"That's a... grave?" Mirage inspected it from afar as she narrowed her eyes onto the sword, which Xeim still clasped his hands around.

"This is one of the swords crafted in the legends of demonology which was passed down through generations and eventually to my father. It's famously known as the Zweihander." Xeim spoke sedately while still standing still in his position like a statue.

"The Zweihander!" Maria looked at the large glowing blade in awe. "Many carbon copies of it have been made in vast regions over many terrestrial planets based on the demonology legends but I never thought it actually existed!"

"D-Demonology? Brr! You know what...? I th-think we should leave it alone for now..." Welch shivered intensely.

"Oh please..." Lieber retorted. "How the heck did it get in here anyway?"

"I'd assume Alphonso was the one who performed their burial..." Xeim said. At this point, he had begun to try and pull the Zweihander from its position but it wouldn't nudge even a little.

"I wouldn't bother trying if I were you..." the same eerie sound that filled their ears during the time in Pessoto forest befell the vault room of the facility as everyone knew what was coming ahead of them. It was Rodrigue who had once again teleported in their way. His robes created a large shadow in the light as he floated about a feet over the ground in the air. "So you came all this way just to seek the Zweihander! And I thought you were here to see me! Tsk tsk... how heartbreaking, Hakhim."

"Know what, chump? I think you've got the wrong person. He's not Hakhim... his name is Xeim. Xeim! Got it? X-E-I-M... Xeim!" the irritated Lieber responded emphasizing Xeim's name everytime he spoke.

Rodrigue didn't find any interest in Lieber and he instead gave a loud chuckle at the thought. "Ohhh! I get it now. Hahahaha! So Hakhim has been fooling you all this time, has he? It seems like you all don't know a single thing about him."

Xeim suddenly, was caught by surprise, shouted at Rodrigue in an impulsive fashion. "Shut up, Rodrigue!"

"And just what would you be talking about?" Mirage crossed her arms waiting for a worthy response from the miserable demon.

"Not everything is like it seems, and I think Hakhim can explain that to you really well." said Rodrigue.

"That's enough!" Xeim, who couldn't bear Rodrigue's blabber any longer, jumped towards the demon in an attempt to catch him off guard take him down with a diving assault. The attack however, was easily countered by Rodrigue as he swung his sword horizontally barely catching the throat of Xeim. Luckily his thick scarf came in the way and prevented any serious damage throwing the brisk man back to the ground. But the scarf around Xeim's neck was no longer covering his mouth due to the large cut and no one could believe what they saw before them.

"Wh-what the hell!"

"Aaaagh!" Welch screamed astonishingly. The others weren't any less shocked either, they simply stood frozen from the horrifying image they saw before them. It was Xeim... more specifically, his mouth. Now Mirage and the others had seen severely disfigured faces before, but Xeim's mouth condition didn't look like it was caused by any particular syndrome but it looked as if the mutation was more 'forced' rather than caused by natural growth. The bottom area of his face which covered his mouth was a lot darker than his natural skin color, his lips stretched a lot wider on the right side of his face while it only ran a few inches on the other side due to what looked like a severe burn. The flesh seemed like it was very crisp and the bottom of his chin was hidden due to Xeim's head being hung low from embarassment. The large thick scarf was no longer there to cover up the shame that was represented by his spoiled mouth.

"Xeim... wh-what's... happened to you?" a confused Mirage who was at a loss of words took another good look at her pupil and then turned towards Rodrigue for answers who looked like he was enjoying the moment excitedly.

"Hahahaha! Don't you all see now! This man you call 'Xeim' is really just an ugly, diseased monster from that dirty planet Rezerb, which everyone knows is filled with the most ruthless and despicable scum!" Rodrigue shouted as he looked towards Xeim's face in disgust.

"Xeim is... a Rezerbian?" asked Maria who looked somewhat surprised.

"That mouth... that burn... it definitely looks like a Rezerbian skin disfiguration disorder." Mirage informed.

"..." Xeim stood there silently not having the will to talk any longer.

"That's right!" the demon nodded before letting out another snicker. "Zaphir and Karin resented him at first sight when Alphonso initially brought him into this clan. Do you know why? Not because he was a human, but because of that rotting face!"

Xeim clenched his fists slowly as they started shaking vigorously from his boiling anger. The others were only keen on hearing what Rodrigue had to say now. No Rezerbian had ever gotten along with the Klausians, or even the Federation for that matter. What was Xeim after all this time? And how did he end up within Klaus? Rodrigue was only glad he could enlighten everyone on Xeim's situation.

"And that's not where the story ends! Allow me to elaborate a little on the legacy his father had left behind before his demise." chuckled Rodrigue.

But just then, Xeim looked Rodrigue straight back up in the eye and roared, "Dammit... just shut up already!" He walked back up towards the Zweihander on top of Zaphir and Karin's grave and clasped his hands around it once again. Then, with one fell swoop he lifted both his hands with all his might and drew out the blade from the grave lifting it with both his hands as it shed even more blood than it already had.

At that moment, Rodrigue's delighted expressions disappeared. He stared at the Zweihander bewilderingly, "I-Impossible! How did you do that! After years of hard work, I couldn't possibly even budge that thing! But you..."

"Fool, the spirits that dwell within this sword have full control of its wielder! And it won't let a scumbag like you ever get your hands on it, you lowlife!" Xeim yelled as he held the blade in a fighting stance.

"Why you..."

"You think this face that has been left scarred for years bothers me? Think again! I've seen far uglier things in these thirty years of my life than just a disfigured face. Whether it be watching my father being burnt to death with my own eyes, or bearing the pain of my mother's execution as a child while everyone insulted her and despised her, or having to suffer the loss of another family and my best friend, Alphonso because of you!" Xeim rambled on as everyone behind him looked at him in a way they had never done so before.

"My, a little touchy there... no Hakhim?" the demon questioned taunting Xeim once again.

"All I want from you now before I kill you is to know what you're planning to do with the Alliance?" asked Xeim a lot more calmly this time as he pointed towards Rodrigue with the tip of his sword.

The demon, just shook his head in return with an evil smirk on his face. "You don't think i'll just be willing to give that away, would you? After all... everything has a price. You of all people should have realized that by now."

"Very well, then." Xeim said as he took his fighting stance once again. "I will be glad to make you submit!"

Suddenly, the strong-hearted Mirage stepped forward beside Xeim without giving him another look. "Let's get this over with quickly th-..." She looked over her shoulder before completing her speech and noticed none of the others had budged even an inch. "What's wrong?"

"B-but Mirage..." Lieber stuttered with a nervous look on his face.

"We can't just... butt in now, can we?" spoke Maria who was in a state of hesitation.

"What? Whatever are you guys talking about?" Mirage demanded as she looked back at them with impatience.

Xeim, however, agreed with the others. "Mirage, they're right. This is my issue. This demon is our clan's mistake, he should have been perished long ago. Let me finish this task by myself."

With that said, Mirage stepped back with the others near the entrance of the vault room, where Xeim and Rodrigue exchanged glances before clashing swords. While both blades had the same appearance and almost every physical attribute resembled the other, Rodrigue's sword was no match for the Zweihander. Everytime their swords would clash, Xeim would end up with the upper hand and force the demon to fall back onto the ground in a defensive position. However, just when Xeim was getting the upper hand of the heated battle... Rodrigue decided to play his little trick. He quickly teleported behind Xeim just as he was about suffer a striking blow. Catching Xeim off-guard, Rodrigue swung his blade diagonally leaving a trail of flames in its path.

"Repent, for death is upon you! Crimson Sword!" To the demon's shock however, it looked as if the attack was absorbed and nullified by the aura of the Zweihander allowing Xeim to counter attack Rodrigue with an overhead slash scarring the demon's chest intensely.

"Yaaaghh!" yelled Xeim as he struck down the filthy demon. Rodrigue fell on the ground with a loud thud but got back up instantly wiping the blood pouring from his mouth with his forehand.

"Very well then. Try this, mere mortal." Just as Xeim tried to catch him with a thrust of his blade Rodrigue teleported with a much faster speed than before. The amazing speed of the demon's teleportation caused him to leave a trail of fire behind him from where he had teleported causing the Zweihander to be caught in a blaze of flames. He found the demon hiding in the top-left corner of the room and ran towards him again with his fiery blade and attempted to strike him down with a quick slash motion.

"Aargh! Take this!" But again, Xeim didn't feel a thing and there was nothing left in front of him but a trail of fire as the sword began to catch even more fire. This process repeated as the demon started to chortle and snicker throughout the whole battle teleporting from one place to another. Once in a while, he would throw out a few words towards Xeim to intimidate the strong individual by taunting.

_'No matter what you do, you'll always be Hakhim!'_

_'You are far from normal. Stop prentending to be...'_

_'Your only purpose is to live a life of misery and suffering.'_

Those were the words he could clearly hear coming from the demon's mouth as he teleported from one place to another. However, the tough man wasn't going to let something like that get to him. He had learned this by reading his father's journal, no man in an emotional state could possibly hope to achieve anything. That was something Inus had suffered from, and Xeim was no fool to fall for something like that. Instead, he began to wonder if there was an alternate way to tackle this jester who kept dodging all of his swordstrikes. Just then he noticed something, Rodrigue wasn't trying to attack at all at this point. He was only teleporting from one place to another. Him attacking would bring him in terrible danger from the Zweihander so unless he was willing to take that risk, ther was no way he would be able to hurt Xeim. Taking this into account, at one point Xeim ran towards Rodrigue and drew his blade over his shoulder once again to take him down but stopped and watched as the demon teleport off instead. He waited to hear an eerie sound to know where he would teleport and then he noticed, the sound was very close to him this time. In fact, it was coming from directly behind him! He now quickly thrust his blade behind him fooling the demon and catching him with his fiery blade who had teleported right behind Xeim as expected.

"Ugggh!" the demon fell on his knees as Xeim quickly drew back his bloody blade from the demon's body. The intense heated battle was over and everyone quickly ran towards Xeim surrounding Rodrigue who was left helpless and coughed out blood from pain. The scene reminded Xeim of the time when he once saw Alphonso in the same state. Seeing Rodrigue suffer the same way only brought him a great deal of satisfaction.

"Well then, Rodrigue. The price has been paid. Now tell me! What are you scheming?"

Not being able to get back to his feet, the demon kept his kneeling position and began to grumble. "S-Scheming? Heh. What are you talking about? I'm only doing what I was initially meant to do. For generations, the Zweihander has been collecting the spirits of the dead in Daemonium and all I needed was a method to convert all these spirits into one powerful entity."

"How could you possibly convert the spirits that dwell within that sword? And what entity are you talking about?" Mirage asked as she took another good look at the Zweihander.

"Who else? But the lord of all demons... Asmodeus. Emissions of energy caused by the synchonology process can easily be used to alter the spirits in this sword and forge them to the single most powerful entity known in the history of demonology. If you hadn't butted in... then I could have brought back Asmodeus' spirit within the Zweihander so I then I could once and for all be able to wield that beauty and reign all over Daemonium once again with Asmodeus' guidance!"

"So that was what the Rebels had intended to do with the Zweihander all this time... and that's why you murdered both Zaphir and Karin. How much lower can you get!" Xeim stated disgustedly.

"H-Hakhim... just do me a quick favor. Before I die, fulfill my last wish and let me hold the blade just once... will you do atleast that for me?" asked Rodrigue with a sympathetic face.

"So you want to feel this blade once before you die?" Xeim questioned.

Rodrigue answered with a nod and Xeim simply smiled in return and walked towards the demon who was by now lying down on the ground flat on his back, helpless at this point.

"Alright, then. I shall fulfill your last wish then." With that said, Rodrigue stretched out his arms to reach for the sword with a gleeful expression starting to form on his face. But instead, Xeim stabbed him with the Zweihander down into his abodomen piercing the demon's body as the gleam of aura began to dance around more vigorously as it sucked Rodrigue's spirit right underneath it. With that last strike Xeim just delivered, the evil demon's wish had been fulfilled and he was at last perished. However, the tense situation was still there, others looked towards Xeim as he held his sword down knowing there was still a lot left to say. But instead, he walked back out of the room and tracked his way back up the stairs as everyone watched him leave.

"So what's this Rebzerbob about anyway?" Welch stupefyingly asked breaking the silence.

"Rezerbians... they're labelled as a big enemy of Federation and all other planets in its system as well. They're mostly known for terrorizing other colonies and living hapless lives doing things only for their own benefits." informed Lieber.

"Wow, so that must be really bad, right?" Welch looked down disappointingly.

Lieber looked towards the commander of Diplo and gave a quicky shrug. "Well then, what are we gonna do then capt'n? Can we still take him along with us... knowing all that?"

"What's there to think about? Everyone was fine travelling with him before, weren't we? How can we treat someone today based on what's happened in his past?" Mirage argued trying to bring light in her persuasion.

"Yeah, but will everything be the same?" asked Welch. "It seems like all this came as such a big shock to everyone."

"I know Quark and especially the Federation are very careful about who they cooperate with and Rezerbians would be the last thing they would ever want to get involved with, but whoever he really is... or whatever his real name may be... Xeim is still Xeim." stated Maria. "I know exactly what Xeim is going through, I wasn't any different. I have unique attributes which have affected how people looked at me in the past... and I can't say it was really pretty. But it's just like a friend once told me back then... no matter what happens, I will always be me."

Maria glanced over at Lieber who widened his eyes as he looked back and smiled. "Maria..."

"Xeim was right..." everyone glanced over at Misty who began to speak. "That wounded face and his physical injuries don't display nearly as much pain as the pain I saw in his eyes. He hides them so deep inside himself, but once I was able to see it... the pain that I saw in there was far more discomforting than the wounds and gashes on his face."

Ignoring everything that they had heard about Xeim, ignoring whatever had happened with Hakhim, all the Quark members had agreed on continuing to carry their task to bring the Alliance down. What had happened to Xeim, and who he really was should not be that important anymore, even to Xeim. With that in mind, Mirage and Lieber walked out of the clan's facility building to check on Xeim and have a word with him. Both of them noticed Xeim standing on the edge of a cliff just staring down at the abyss.

"Xeim... let's hurry and leave now." Mirage said as if nothing had happened to affect Quark's relation with Xeim.

"You don't need to pretend. You know it's Hakhim, of course." retorted Xeim with a slow whisper as he closed his eyelids.

"To us, you're still Xeim. We're not expecting any excuse from you, and besides... this shouldn't be something so important to us anyway." Mirage said.

"Yeah, a time comes when you just gotta drop everything and move on..." added Lieber.

"But I can't just go on living pretending it never happened! I still believe... that you have a right to know." said Xeim. And with that, he narrated his story on what brought him to Daemonium after such a long time. After Inus' death caused by the Galzan committee and the execution of Jina... Hakhim was taken into prison. But not before taking a deadly beating and getting a taste of what his father, Inus, got by the sun's UV radiation during his time in the prison cell which caused his mouth to be disfigured permanently for the rest of his life.

"Once both the chief and his wife had been killed, I was barely able to escape from Daemonium and head back to the Milky Way galaxy. There I lived my new life as 'Xeim Juram' within a small anti-federation military organization just like Quark and became one of the top cadets in the army. I wanted to stand on my own two feet and stop running away from situations like I did here. So after years of training, I had acquired a great deal of knowledge in politics and warships. Then not too long after, I went back to Klaus IV, back to the town of Likins to see my mother's grave."

"And that's when you stumbled upon the dojo, right?" Mirage guessed confidently.

Xeim nodded in return, "Yeah. I figured I had already had just about all the training I needed in the military... but one thing struck me. My only weakness. It was my anger in battle, and my loss of temper. I was never able to keep my emotions within control, just like my father whose emotions eventually led to his disaster. But I saw that calm nature in you Mirage, and I admired it. I had then decided to take part in the dojo and seek your aid to work on my weakness."

"What were you hoping to prove by becoming such a strong fighter anyway?" Lieber asked without hesitation.

"So I could one day come back to this place and get my revenge on those filthy demons that had driven me away. But I have to admit... as life went on, I slowly started to forget about getting revenge and just live a new and peaceful life. Perhaps it was the training that allowed me to stay in peace and not care about vengeance any longer. But then soon it all fell apart. When I saw Rodrigue at the Sanctuary of Linga, and then the Pesotto Forest... I couldn't help but think that I was forgetting who I really was, and what I was really supposed to do. Maybe if that wretched demon hadn't shown up, then I wouldn't have to go through all of this in the first place and I could have continued to live the life of Xeim and keep on going with you guys. But it just took one look at Rodrigue to bring everything back, and it compelled me to separate myself from you guys and do what had to be done. I couldn't ignore it, I couldn't pretend like I didn't care about it anymore... i'm sorry about bringing you into all of this, but I had no other choice. I just couldn't ignore that I once used to be known as Hakhim."

"Xeim..." Lieber gave Xeim a compassionate touch on the shoulder as he patted him slowly on the back sympathetically. He was never too fond of the big man but just knowing everything about this person was enough to know he was very likeable.

Mirage was also at a loss for words seeing Xeim in a state of grief. "You're just you, Xeim. What's happened has happened, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore your past. Look at everything that has happened in a positive way. If you hadn't been through all that, would you be the strong individual you are now? Don't take the hardships you have endured for granted, it is only Hakhim after all who made you what you are now, Xeim."

"Heh, I suppose when you look at it that way..." Xeim replied with a smile on his concealed mouth. "You're exactly like my mother used to be... both from outside and inside. I suppose that's another thing that drew me to you at first."

"We still got a lot ahead of us, so keep that head up high and don't let it ever fall low again!" Lieber said as if to give an order, although it sounded more of an advice.

"You're right..." the half-Klausian-half-Rezerbian said turning around and looking at both of his friends who he had started out this long journey with. "Thanks, Lieber. And you too Mirage... Mirage Sensei..."


End file.
